Just a Matter of Faith
by SteelPorcelainMXIV
Summary: When an unknown criminal begins acting upon the threatening letters sent to several clergymen it's up to Ciel and Sebastian to solve the case. Nothing the Queen's guard dog is sent to deal with can be simple, however, especially when a certain shinigami and his temporary partner get involved. Contains OCs.
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: **All I own in this fic are the OCs, plot, and various names and places I made up.

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[Prologue] That Reaper: Bribed

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Undertaker held the slim green-bound book carefully in one hand as he walked down one of the less-used hallways of the London Dispatch. There was nothing wrong with the corridor itself, just that the aura of one of its inhabitants made it seem slightly darker than the others. Darker...but more enticing, which was worse than just having a lack of light. And Undertaker was going to see that very person.

The silver-haired reaper knocked on the unmarked door once before entering as if he had a right to do so – in a way he did, at least until the small white slip of paper clenched in his other hand was returned. "Hello-o~?" He grinned.

A shadow half-cloaked in the gloom shifted slightly and a very pale sliver of face rose into view somewhere beyond a flat plane that could have been a desk. It bobbed a bit as if nodding but didn't reply.

"Just got back, eh? Will I have the privilege of dealing with this target?" Undertaker noted as he caught a glimpse of a very large sickle resting on the desk, its blade glinting deep crimson.

An indifferent shrug.

"You know they like a neutral party to take care of them, even if you dealt with them… Such a challenge, but so simple to repair because of your clean and elegant way of cutting them down!" He laughed creepily.

A white card flashed through the gloom, held in a strong but slender hand covered by a black glove. 'You flatter me – what do you want?'

The silent reaper's guest was suddenly serious, stepping forward until he could place the book on the desk. "Don't let them get rid of the cousins."

'Why?' The new card that flicked by read.

"They're of interest to me."

The soft scratching of a quill pen on paper could be heard for a moment. 'They interest everyone. You know this of course - I saw you 'sitting in.''

Undertaker was briefly surprised, then chuckled as he remembered who he was dealing with. "Of course you saw me."

'I do not appreciate flattery.'

"I wasn't giving you any, just simply stating the obvious."

Black-gloved fingers tapped lightly on the handle of the sickle in warning while a series of cards appeared as if by magic. 'I am not in the mood for your games.' 'Now, what is the book you brought me for?' 'And be brief and serious for a change.'

Undertaker sighed but knew even he wouldn't last long if this reaper decided to get violent. "I've compiled an account of the cousins' little 'adventure' from their own records, as well as excerpts from those whom they interacted with for validity."

'I have enough reading and writing to do in the Ledger...' 'What's in this for me?'

This was where Undertaker played his trump card. His host actually inhaled softly at the sight of the slip of paper that was raised for him to see. "I'd liiike to uusssseeee the favoor I got from yyoooooouuu~!"

'Done!' 'Now give it to me! (/o,o)/' 'Hurry up; I've been waiting ages for you to give it back! DX'

"Only~ when~ you~ let~ them~ stay~!" The silver-haired reaper trilled, laughing even more as he quickly pulled the paper back, holding it close to his chest and dancing out of reach...and paused as he felt a small pain at the base of his skull. "My word, you're certainly faster than you let on~!"

'Get out.' 'I have business to attend to.' The silent reaper grinned evilly as he slowly pulled the second sickle away, waiting a few minutes after Undertaker had left to finish cleaning the sickle on his desk before opening the green-bound book to the first page.

_ "Jasper! Jasper!"_

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**A/N: **Hello all, welcome to another of my stories! I feel good about this one even though it's for one of my newer fandoms and written a bit differently, so the official Chapter I (which is a lot longer) will hopefully be up by next week. Thanks for reading~


	2. Chapter I

_Note:_ Slightly censored cursing.

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[Chapter I] That Butler: Immune

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_The silent reaper read on..._

_..._

"Jasper! Jasper!"

"Pen!? What happened?" Jasper jumped slightly as he was hugged from behind. "Pen?" He asked again, softer, as he heard muffled sniffles - it took a lot to make her cry.

"Jaaasperthey..." The rest was mumbled against his back.

"They what?" Jasper pulled her around to face him and could already tell she'd been crying even though her bangs were swept across her reaper-green eyes. "They didn't try to..." He asked as he checked her clothes for rips or tears.

Pen shook her head. "No... Th-They...k-kk-k..."

Jasper rolled his eyes and pushed her bangs out of her face, automatically checking for bruises. "We all know you can kick their asses twice as good."

"No, Jasper! They k-kickedmeoutoftheAcademy!"

"Whaaat?!"

"That'swh-hatIsaaiiidandMr.S-Spearssaid..."

_ "Miss Lynx, is it?" William T. Spears didn't even look up from his paperwork as the young shinigami-in-training stood before his desk. There was no need to – every crisp white sheet bore her name and ID photograph in the upper right-hand corner. "You may answer." _

_ There was a slight pause. "Yes sir, Mister Spears."_

_ The older reaper skimmed and signed another document before continuing. "Do you know why I summoned you, Miss Lynx?"_

_ "Pardon me but no, sir."_

_ A longer silence followed as William quickly finished the last two forms and then rose so he could properly look down his nose at his visitor. Miss Lynx – first name Penelope, or 'Pen' – was pretty much as she'd been when her ID photograph was taken: navy blue dress with white lace at the wrists and throat, wide yellow-green eyes, dark brown combat boots at least a size too big, and messy dirty blond hair tied back in a hasty bun. All awkwardness and no professionalism whatsoever. No proper reaper would ever dress that way (except for a certain redhead) but this one was a now temporary exception. "I am sorry to inform you that you will not be returning to class after this meeting – in fact, you will be leaving the premises entirely." _

_ "I'm afraid I still do not understand, sir." A very fine film of venom coated the statement. "My parents have paid more than enough money to this facility so I may follow in their footsteps and I fully intend to do so." _

_ William's eyes narrowed as he picked up the hefty stack of papers and set it in the 'out' tray. "Apparently that's no longer the case. I recommend you return to your quarters and pack as soon as possible so they are not burdened with more fines - you have been rejected from the Academy."_

"Rejected...oh Penny..." Jasper hugged Pen tightly, rubbing her back to keep his mind off of what this would mean for them. If he was the only one with a decent job they wouldn't be able to maintain their manor and Pen's parents would regain custody over her. "I'll talk to Mr. Spears - I have a good record so far so he's sure to at least not scowl at me and poke at his glasses with that nasty scythe of his. Maybe if I can work enough overtime shifts -"

"Jasper, you hate overtime, esp...pecially because of the d-death lists." Pen sniffed, snitching his handkerchief out of his pocket so she could wipe her eyes. "M-

Maybe I can get back into filing or recordkeeping...you can...show me how..."

"You'll never get to be Death's Understudy if you go into those jobs - if you did get one I'd trade you though."

"But if they caught you..."

"You're more of a reaper than I'll ever be, Pen. How the hell're they getting away with rejecting you with the grades you've got? Now go clean yourself up and change; you must've hopped over half the fences in the realm to run back here from the Academy."

"...two..."

"Two what?"

Pen giggled a little. "Fences."

"Penelope!" Jasper facepalmed. "Go on, I need to go to work since I have a later shift today."

"Well good riddance, cheering me up just to leave me in despair!" Pen dramatically flopped onto a couch, slinging her feet over the armrest. "I'll be sure to sob all over Analise when she comes over to eat your face."

Jasper couldn't help but blush at that. "Penelope Lynx, I'd tickle you until you took that back but I need to go! And clean that couch now that you've gotten my old boots all over it!"

"Fine!" Pen stuck out her tongue and made sure Jasper saw her jump off the couch and run upstairs.

_-That Butler-*'

Sebastian could tell this was not going to be a good day. Ciel had taken his sweet time to wake up, putting them behind schedule by fifteen minutes, not to mention the chaos with the servants that took longer than usual to deal with.

_"Well this is fortunate."_ The butler thought to himself as he managed to fix two almost-catastrophes at once as well as get the mail, giving Finnian a harsh glare as he straightened the mailbox. Now they were only behind schedule by twelve minutes. He then went back inside to Ciel, who was sitting at his desk working on some papers for the Funtom Company.

The boy looked up and frowned through his bangs at Sebastian. "Now what?"

"Your mail, my lord. And this."

Ciel's frown only deepened as he took the envelope sealed with Queen Victoria's royal crest. "Can't I go a week without receiving one of these?" He muttered as he opened the envelope and took letter out, carefully unfolding it as he did so. "Hmm... Sebastian?"

"Yes?"

"How comfortable are you around 'men of the cloth?'"

"They don't concern me; it is hard to find one that truly believes."

Ciel nodded in understanding. "Agreed, but I guess we must assist them - someone has murdered two already."

Sebastian bowed. "I will find out what I can and return in time to prepare lunch."

"Good. Now go."

"Yes, my lord."

_-That Butler-*'

"All you know is he's in the church?"

"Yup."

Jasper Lynx rolled his eyes. "No offense, but that's all the info you can give me, Mr. Kno- err Ronald?"

"See? You called me Ronald during work and you didn't explode!" Jasper squeaked a little as a hand thumped him on the back. "And well, as for info, there's that and that some great-looking gals hang out at a bar a block or so west of here - want to check 'em out after work?" Ronald grinned. "They're looking forward to meeting the green-haired chick magnet I promised to introduce, just to warn ya."

"I have a girlfriend. A-And girls like me for my personality, not my hair!"

"And I have three, so what?" Ronald teasingly nudged his partner for the day. "And what if your cute but crazy cousin runs Analise off?"

"Pen's not gonna do that anytime soon. Now, I'm going inside to make sure he's where you say he is, if you want to come you can."

"Okay, okay, don't get your ponytail in a knot! I'll keep watch out here for a bit and then join ya."

Jasper forced a small smile. "Sorry Ronald, I've had a rough day. And thanks - maybe I'll take you up on at least a drink tonight." With that he pried open a small window and slipped inside, perching on the head of a statue for a moment before lightly falling to the tile floor. The church seemed a lot larger now that no one was in it but it was still very well-lit thanks to the tall stained glass windows that lined the walls and parts of the roof. At high noon the place would be practically exploding with color but still not nearly as breathtaking as some of the cathedrals the reaper had been in while living in France and other parts of Europe.

A little side door that was partly obscured by shadow had been propped open so Jasper was a little wary as he approached it, but it was very likely that the visiting abbot had been using the room to say a few prayers.

_"Get in, take the soul, get out...get in, take the soul, get out..."_ A careful glance around the door revealed a body covered in rich fabrics slumped forward as if bowing on hands and knees. _"Lawrence Brecken, abbot of Edgeworth Abbey for twenty-eight years; born on April 12, 18-" _

"Didja find him?"

Jasper clapped a hand over his mouth to keep from screaming but still jumped about a foot in the air and nearly took Ronald's head off with his death scythe, which he'd instinctively grabbed while watching the late abbot.

"Daaang dude! Calm down!"

"Then don't fcking sneak up on me like that! No wonder I like sniper duty more - it's a dmn good one-man job!"

Ronald huffed, offended. "Then let me get him."

"Fine with me." Jasper frowned as he put up his scythe, which was a long dull silver harpoon gun, and moved aside so the other shinigami could get into the room. There was a roar as Ronald's lawnmower-shaped scythe sprang to life, and then silence.

"...Hey Jasper, come check this out."

Something in the other's tone told Jasper that Ronald was actually serious. "What?"

"Watch." Ronald restarted his scythe and cut into the abbot again. "His records aren't here."

"Whaddaya mean, not here? Everything's got records of some sort or another." Jasper winced as he looked down at the now-mutilated corpse and retrieved his own scythe, literally taking a stab at the problem. "...wut...?"

"Can't you tell what?"

"Well yeah, but I never thought I'd actually come across something that didn't have anything for me to reap."

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**A/N: **As promised, the much longer first chapter, but posted a day early because my weekend is going to get busy. I hope my readers (especially my first reviewer :) ) finds the story getting more interesting. Expect another chapter next weekend!


	3. Chapter II

[Chapter II] That Butler: A Witness

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Sebastian was quite pleased with himself - he'd managed to gather a long list of suspects, several of the threatening letters, and the names of all the clergymen that had been targeted in only an hour or so. The butler had even gone as far as to set up an interview with one of the targeted men for Ciel, stating that the meeting would be about starting a toy drive for the poor to allay suspicion.

"A toy drive? Hmm... we may have to try that for real sometime, and it would certainly receive favor from the Queen." Ciel nodded in approval as he munched on a warm _tart aux pommes_. "When and where is the meeting?"

The corners of the other's lips curled upward slightly. "In an hour and a half, after his speech in Covent Garden."

Ciel managed to refrain from rolling his eyes at how his butler hadn't given him much time to prepare. "How fitting. Prepare a coach."

"Yes, my lord."

_-That Butler-*'

_"Father George Thomas, religious leader for thirty-four years; born on July 2nd, 1830; fiddles with various drugs and commits embezzlement in his spare time..."_ Jasper sighed as he checked over his harpoon gun-shaped scythe for any last-minute maintenance before it was time to get to work. At least he didn't have to get close to the target; the recall function allowed him to retrieve records from a distance. It was a clear shot since the man had almost literally gotten up on a soap box in order to try to spread what he considered the 'Word of God' to the masses.

The mortal wouldn't be missed in this world. As soon as his speech was over, so was his life.

A strange smell suddenly broke Jasper's concentration and he turned his head slightly - no one should be up on the roof with him, nor know he was there - but a rough cloth sack was forced over his head before he could see who or what it was. Years of training for his job at the Dispatch and street fighting immediately took over but there must have been more than one assailant because he was quickly disarmed and restrained.

"Calm down little reaper~ We need you alive~" A high feminine voice giggled softly near his ear as something, probably a finger, stroked his cheek. The smell was even stronger now, more cloying than before.

_"No...!"_

_-That Butler-*'

Ciel huffed impatiently as he walked behind Sebastian, who easily cleared a path through the crowd of people surrounding their contact. At this rate it would take forever to reach Father Thomas, and even longer to get him somewhere more private for their conversation. The man was old and frail-looking but still had some power to his voice if snatches of what he was saying were audible to the young earl over the noise of the usual hustle.

"Young master, look out." Sebastian suddenly stopped and moved closer to Ciel so the boy couldn't see what happened next, but it was obviously something bad if the loud explosions coming from somewhere in front of them were anything to go by.

"Is it the killer?" Ciel tried to catch a glimpse of what was going on but the mob of people quickly leaving the scene, a sudden cloud of dark smoke, and his butler kept the view obscured. "Sebastian!"

As if on cue the other moved aside to show the earl a blackened square where a box had once been and its former occupant now lying in a messy heap several feet away. Ciel wrinkled his nose. "A little too coincidental..."

Sebastian smirked a little. "But an ingenious use of fireworks, don't you agree, my lord?"

"Not as ingenious as my Sebas-chaan~!"

The demon quickly sidestepped so the red blur landed with a thump on the cobbles. "Leave me in peace."

_"Great. Another complication."_ Ciel frowned at the reaper. "Why are _you_ of all people here?"

Grell immediately bounced up but took his time brushing himself off before answering. "I'm here on assignment, sadly, but I can take a detour~"

"Get any closer and I will make sure your boss has to take you away piece by piece."

"You masochist~!"

Ciel shut his uncovered eye and took a deep, calming breath. "Mr. Sutcliffe, if you could kindly finish your business and. Get. On. Your. Way, it would be most appreciated."

"...I can't do that either."

The change in the redhead's tone was definitely noticed. "And why is that?"

"I can't find my dashing Mr. Lynx - Will won't let me back into the office if I forget my partner again."

_"Who in their right mind wouldn't escape from you at the first opportunity?" _But what Ciel actually said was, "Good luck finding him - I would help, but I'm busy and need to leave."

Grell's pointed teeth glinted as he grinned hugely. "I'll come with you too! Maybe I'll find Jazzy~! This is what he looks like." He shoved a picture into the earl's face. "Isn't he perfect for me if Sebas-chan or Will don't work out?"

"Yes, yes, of course he is." Ciel moved back and handed the picture to Sebastian. "Keep an eye out for this 'Mr. Lynx' so we can get rid of that thing as soon as possible."

"Yes, my lord." the demon eyed the well-dressed reaper with circular rimless glasses and deep emerald hair in a messy ponytail grinning in the direction of the cameraman for a moment before handing the photo back to Grell. "There is no need to try to thank me as it was an order from the young master."

"Owww..." Grell stood up again and pouted. "Just one hug?"

"No." Sebastian followed Ciel back to the carriage and helped him climb in before stepping up to the driver's box and sitting so Grell couldn't take the spot next to him. The reaper huffed at this but settled on the roof.

_-That Butler-*'

It took Pen a moment to realize the loud ringing was the phone and not her alarm. "Wut?"

"Hello, this is Susan from the London Dispatch. Is Penelope Lynx there?"

"No, it's Billie, owner o' Billie's Bouncy Houses-for-Rent...is this the same Susan I ran off o' Jasper in two days?"

That question...was going to be ignored entirely. "Has Mr. Lynx come home?"

"My maiden name's Lynx and I don't have a 'mister' of any sort, so no, and quit wasting my time - I'm still sleepy."

Susan sighed despite knowing it was unprofessional to. "I was referring to your cousin, Jasper Lynx."

"Ehh?! He's not at the Dispatch?! Where's he now then?!"

"Please lower your voice, Ms. Lynx, it's unbecoming and the first thing that anything trying to pass as a lady should know. We're sending someone over to make sure you're all right, so just try to keep calm and drown yourself in a couple pots of coffee while you wait. And do wear something more respectable than your cousin's hand-me-downs."

"...You! You!" Pen screeched at the dial tone and slammed the receiver back into its cradle before realizing what just happened. "...sht."

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**A/N: **Here's a treat - another early chapter...and cover art with Pen and Jasper ^v^ The canon characters may be added to it but that depends on how much free time I have. Have a fun and safe Halloween!

Fallen and Neko: Lol I wasn't expecting you guys to review! Thanks!


	4. Chapter III

[Chapter III] That Butler: Babysitter

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Locks of freshly dyed emerald green hair fell to the bathroom floor, then curls as it was more carefully trimmed to the best of the cutter's ability.

_"...You remember what you have to do if I don't come back, right?"_

_"Yeah, but you'll always come back."_

A bottle of pink and yellow pills opened with a pop and one was taken out before the container was resealed. Until she found a better alternative the temporary growth tablet would have to do since all she needed was an extra four inches.

_"But if I don't, what do you do?"_

_"I take your place so they don't take me away...are ya saying something's gonna happen soon?"_

_"I don't know Penny, all I know is that what Ronald and I saw wasn't natural."_

Not natural was right. Jasper had told her everything about the soul that he and Mr. Knox weren't able to retrieve and now he was gone. Almost as if someone had found out he knew something he shouldn't...

_"Just don't use the hair dye too much or we'll look like mutant twins."_

_"I know. And be careful yourself."_

Penelope had just gone back to sleep after realizing she no longer needed to get up early for drill when she got a call from the London Dispatch asking if Jasper had already arrived home. Her carelessly given response was why she was now rushing to get into character for whenever the representative came to make sure she was 'okay.' Pfft, of course she was okay! Just really, really worried for the only person she could really trust.

"Hah!" She laughed to herself, then winced as she realized she didn't even sound like the guy she was pretending to be. "Hah!" Almost there; it had been a while since she had to mimic Jasper's voice, but it would have to do. One change of glasses later and she looked exactly like her slightly-built, green-haired nerd of a cousin. _"You got this, Pen. It's nothing that hasn't happened before -"_

The doorbell rang and she rushed downstairs to answer it. Oh, this would be hard - it was Analise, looking even more like a woman that was perfect in every way than usual thanks to the plain but well-fitted black and white dress the Dispatch issued to its female staff, her wavy chestnut hair pinned up in an elaborate hairstyle that framed her face and big reaper-green eyes that were already accentuated by the small pair of brown-rimmed glasses perched on her nose. The woman didn't need makeup.

Analise's surprise when she saw 'Jasper' answer the door was worth it though. "Oh, Jasper! Y-You surprised me; I was told that you weren't here..."

"I ran by to make sure Pen was okay."

"But the call -"

"You know how she is before she's had her morning coffee." Pen chuckled at having to talk about herself in third person. "And I actually just got here - she hasn't seen me yet."

Analise hesitantly chuckled as well but the sound wasn't as genuine because Pen also tended to use slightly more colorful language than what was considered proper for a young lady before she had her coffee. "What exactly do I tell the Dispatch then?"

"That I needed to check up on my cousin and forgot to clock out before I went home." Pen shrugged. "I'm sure they'll understand."

"All right." Analise quickly kissed 'Jasper' on the cheek and smiled as 'his' face turned deep red. "And don't forget our date tomorrow night, okay?"

"Oh I won't, don't worry." came out instead of, _"Nuh-uh; forget it, and don't kiss me again because I now know for sure that I don't go for girls!"_

"Bye Jazz."

"...bye Annie."

Pen calmly closed the door...and then ran to the sink and scrubbed at her cheek with the dishrag. "Fuuuuuuk! I can't do this anymore! Where the hll's Jasper!?"

_-That Butler-*'

"Ahh, Sebastian~!"

"Stop that, you'll get the banister dirty." The butler sighed and looked down at the reaper. Grell had decided to 'trip' and 'fall' every time Sebastian walked by in case the demon decided to catch him just once.

"But I've fallen and can't get up! You wouldn't leave a lady in distress, would you?!"

"If the 'lady' is a shinigami and obsessed with the color red, then yes."

Grell dramatically gasped and flipped his hair. "How rude!"

"Sebastian!"

_"Great, now what does the young brat want?" _"Yes, my lord?"

Ciel frowned at the pair. "If you both keep insisting on disrupti-"

Someone knocked on the front door in a way that clearly said they wanted that door opened quickly.

"Excuse me, sir." Without a backward glance at Ciel, Sebastian went to answer it. "Oh, hello Mr. Spears."

The reaper huffed and frowned even more. "My business isn't with you, _demon_, so if you'd get out of our way..."

"Pardon me, but 'our?'"

William T. Spears blinked in slight confusion before suddenly turning and lashing out with his scythe. "Mister Lynx, get back here this instant!"

"Yessir!" the reaper from Grell's photo squeaked as his boss dragged him back into view with his scythe only to disappear under a glomp from Grell. "Ack!"

"Jazzy, why'd you run off!? You had me so worried!"

Jasper's face got very, very red as he was cuddled. "I-I-I-II...D-Don't call me Jazzy! M-My glasses!"

"Here you go~!" Grell kissed Jasper's nose as he picked up the other's glasses and set them lightly on their owner's nose.

Ciel averted his eyes from the awkwardness. _"At least that thing isn't after Sebastian for the time being...what a nuisance."_

Mr. Spears stepped inside the manor and coughed politely to regain attention. "It appears that we must work together again, Mister Phantomhive. You see, the incidents that you're currently looking into are of interest to the Shinigami as well - we, I'm almost embarrassed to admit, have been unable to properly reap and judge the souls of the recently deceased. Wipe that smirk off your face, demon. Knowing your 'tendencies' you're the culprit."

Sebastian's smirk only got bigger. "I'm simply enjoying the bond that Mister Sutcliffe shares with Mr. Lynx."

"Ah, that was the other thing: Mr. Lynx is staying here with you since he is being punished and because we need someone to keep an eye on any new developments that you happen to uncover."

Ciel fumed. "Haven't I made it clear enough that your associates aren't welcome here!? And the presence of that isn't helping you in the slightest." the earl pointed at Grell.

Grell paused and looked up at that. "What?! Who, me?"

"Ehh?!" The noise was pretty feminine for a guy to make, and the almost terrified expression on Jasper's face made him seem even more like a damsel in distress. "I'm supposed to stay _here_?! With the boy and his _demon_?! M-Mr. Spears, please be reasonable!"

The senior reaper sighed and pushed his glasses back up his nose with his scythe. "Mr. Lynx, if you hadn't lost your original scythe and clocked out when you were supposed to then this wouldn't be happening right now. In fact, if I were in your position (which would mean the apocalypse is upon us) then I would be thankful that I wasn't relieved of reaper status entirely. Now get up and say goodbye to Mr. Sutcliffe since he needs to get back to work on his _overtime._"

"Awwww, Willie, overtime!? Whyy?!"

Ciel couldn't take it anymore. He was tired of the reaper treating him like dirt because he had a contract with Sebastian and using him in such a degrading manner. Babysitting misbehaving reapers? Tch! He could play this game too. "Fine Mr. Spears, we'll watch your reaper, but you won't interfere in our business for as long as he's here. Now take that thing and get off my property before Sebastian is forced to escort you."

"I'm not a thing, I'm a lady!"

Mr. Spears looked at the boy and his butler for a moment before quickly nodding. "Very well then. I shall see you again in a month. Good luck Mr. Lynx - with that demon around you'll need it."

_-That Butler-*'

A month!? A _month_!? Jasper was going to stop buying her favorite kind of coffee for a while if he found out she'd tarnished his work record so early in his career. How was she supposed to know that she'd get in such trouble if she 'lost' her scythe anyway?

"Mister Lynx, would you like assistance?"

Pen flinched slightly and stared at the demonic butler now standing right next to her with his hand outstretched to help her to her feet. She'd never been this close to a demon before, but he didn't seem as...evil as her textbooks said they were. Maybe the boy had simply trained him very well.

"Are you all right, Mister Lynx? I understand that all of this is a bit of a surprise to you."

"I-I'm fine, thanks!" His gloved hand had barely brushed hers but she jumped up and away as if shocked, then took a couple steps forward to not seem too rude. Who knew what would make the demon attack her. Some said they could smell fear and got turned on if you ran from them, and although she didn't believe the rumors there was no reason for her to find out if they were true the fun way. _"He touched me; he touched me! Disgusting demon filth!"_

She looked at the boy. "I'm sorry about my boss - I had no idea he was going to dump me on you. I'll try not to eat too much, and can help with the chores so I'm not freeloading. A-And I'll go ahead and introduce myself properly! I'm Jasper Lynx, somewhat-newly recruited reaper at the London Dispatch!"

He nodded. "I am her Majesty's loyal servant, the Earl Ciel Phantomhive, and this is my butler, Sebastian Michaelis." Sebastian nodded as he heard his name. "Please, come inside. It wouldn't do to keep a 'guest' out in the elements for too long."

"The ele- ehh!" A large raindrop plopped onto Pen's nose. She hadn't even realized the sky had clouded over and it was starting to drizzle. Hopefully the extra moisture wouldn't mean she had to re-dye her hair. "Sorry about that!"

Sebastian closed the door behind her. "It's quite all right. Would you like me to draw you a bath before dinner?"

"If you don't mind..."

"What kind of butler would I be if I did?" the demon smirked slightly. "When you've finished I will show you to the dining room."

Pen blinked, wondering how he'd know when she was done. Maybe he was actually going to stay...she waved the thought away before it got too awkward. "All right. Thank you. And I'll wash myself."

"As you wish."

_-That Butler-*'

Sebastian stood at his master's side but attended to both Ciel's and their guest's needs, quietly observing them as he performed his duties. Mr. Lynx was certainly an interesting character as he had the speech and mannerisms common to the higher portion of society but the wariness and almost-resourcefulness of the common folk. How Ciel would use this to their advantage would be interesting to watch.

"How long have you been in your line of work, Mr. Lynx?" Ciel asked in an attempt to make conversation after watching the reaper scarf down food like he was starving for about twenty minutes. _"If this is what he means by 'not eating too much' then we'll need more food in a couple of days."_

Pen quickly swallowed and wiped her mouth. "Only a few months - it feels like longer though since we have to work so many hours." She didn't want to go into too much detail in case she accidentally changed something later. Especially while the demon was around - they were tricky to deal with, or at least that's what Jasper himself had told her. "And you? Or is it an inherent position?"

"It is inherent. How much do you know about the Phantomhive house?" Ciel raised an eyebrow.

"Only what the Dispatch tells us since you and your...butler keep popping up in our case studies. Your methods are ingenious, if I do say so myself - especially those used in the 'Jack the Ripper' incident." No words had ever burned her mouth so much - Pen hated how the pair in front of her got all the glory when it wasn't their job to deal with the supernatural side of the cases, but she had to be nice because the real Jasper loved discussing such topics. And that 'Jack the Ripper' incident had turned the London Dispatch into the laughingstock of shinigami society for so long that she even considered transferring academies. "To think a _human_ could manage to do so much damage before getting caught, even if she was having help!" She added to release a little of her pent-up anger.

Ciel frowned slightly at the implied insult but seemed to find that an acceptable answer. "Thank you. And on a similar topic, have your associates made any theories about the recent killings?"

"Nothing that they've cared to share, and I don't know enough information to really make a difference." Some gut instinct warned her to withhold what the real Jasper told her about the missing soul even though her hosts seemed like they were genuinely interested in stopping the killer.

Sebastian chose the following pause to politely step forward. "My apologies, Mr. Lynx, but as the earl is still young his bedtime is earlier than what you may be used to."

"It's fine, I perfectly understand. In fact I was planning to retire a bit early myself - attend to your master, I'll show myself to my room."

"Very well. Good night, Mr. Lynx."

"Good night." Pen calmly stood up and left the dining room.

Ciel waited until his butler nodded to show that the reaper was out of earshot. "He's very...unusual."

"Indeed." Sebastian smirked to himself. "If I may put forth the question, what exactly do you think he's here for?"

"Tch. Stop playing games with me; what do you know?"

"The reaper isn't quite who he says he is. I will keep an eye on him in case he must be dealt with."

Ciel frowned and got up from the table, stretching his arms above his head. "I could tell that much for myself. What else?"

"I would have to come across something rather hard to find before I'm certain."

"And what would that be?"

"Don't concern yourself with it tonight, my lord. It's past your bedtime now."

_-That Butler-*'

The coffin was made out of the sturdiest oak and lined with plush silk cushions, a perfect bed for the guest it was built for. Now, if only he could find said guest...

"Miister Thooommaas~, come out, come out, wherever you aaarreee~!" Undertaker giggled creepily as he prowled through the narrow paths between the coffins scattered around his shop. "Even if you're a very picky person it's not like you could've gotten up and walked away~!"

He laughed at his own joke as he moved the lid of a random coffin aside. "Boo~!" The crazed smile quickly turned into a frown when no corpse was revealed. "Hmmm..."

This was the sixth time a body had gone missing and it was beginning to get on Undertaker's nerves. It didn't matter how much he increased the security around the place either. And the only corpses that were spirited away were the murdered religious men, as well as a random nun that died of natural causes. Who, or what, was behind this? The ex-shinigami scratched his chin with a long black nail. As soon as some of his other guests were provided for he would make a point of looking further into the matter.

"Rejoice and be glad, for even the lowliest of you can be cleansed of your sins!"

That voice was strangely familiar...Undertaker's eyes widened in surprise behind his long bangs as he peered out of his shop and saw something he'd only seen in his dreams. This needed to be looked into _immediately_.

...well, after he stopped laughing maniacally at how beautifully alive the former corpse had become.

* * *

**A/N:** So how was Chapter 3? I'm a little nervous about how easily this fic is flowing into Word documents so although I could've updated last Wednesday (yes, that soon '-') I decided to wait in case there was any sort of editing I wanted to do...only to write two more chapters instead. So please fave/follow/review if you want another early update!


	5. Chapter IV

[Chapter IV] That Butler: Ready for Action

* * *

"Mr. Lynx."

Pen curled up further under the thick, warm covers, tucking her hands under her chin and pressing her arms against her chest so she was even cozier than if she was sprawled across the bed.

"Mr. Lynx, we require your assistance."

What was that weird smell? It certainly wasn't coffee or anything she was used to eating for breakfast. In fact, it almost smelled like... "Demon!" She bolted upright and somehow remembered to pull the sheets up to her neck before her small but noticeable nightshirt-clad breasts were uncovered. "Ehh?!"

Sebastian deftly placed her glasses on her nose. "No, simply one hell of a butler." he smirked at his guest's ruffled appearance. "Please come down to the parlor when you're dressed, or are you in need of assistance with that?"

"I-I'm fine, thanks. Sorry about the reaction, you just startled me, is all."

"My apologies." It was obvious the demon didn't really mean that and Pen would have chewed him out about it had she been more confident.

When she was sure he wasn't coming back the reaper quickly scooted out of the bed and made sure to adjust the bindings under her nightshirt until she could still breathe but her chest was aptly concealed before dressing. Thank goodness she'd been able to get a decent pair of men's boots that added a couple more inches to her height before Mr. Spears tracked her down.

_"Mr. Lynx, you better have a good explanation for the mess you've caused." Jasper's boss loomed over her, using his scythe to push his glasses up his nose. "Now we have to review the security tapes in order to figure out how much you actually worked today and take it from the extraordinary amount that not clocking out has given you."_

_ "Ehh?!"_

_ "And I will need to check your death list."_

_ "...I don't have it."_

_ "Then your scythe will be taken for examination."_

_ "..." Pen looked down, silently cursing herself for not having a plan for explaining where Jasper's death list, ID, and scythe went. _

_ Mr. Spears glared at her. "Explain."_

_ "I was ambushed on the job; I'm lucky to have escaped alive - and no, I didn't manage to see who it was."_

_ "Then, after we get you a replacement scythe, we will have to find an appropriate means of punishment. Your record - although short - was spotless, Mr. Lynx, and this series of incidents won't be forgotten easily."_

Pen stood up and retrieved the replacement scythe, which was in the form of a large dark green umbrella. A real scythe...she never thought she'd be able to get one after her dismissal from the Academy. It was a lot lighter than the practice scythes they were issued and- "Ow!" she hissed as it suddenly opened and smacked her in the face. -was probably defective and given to her as a joke.

"Are you in need of assistance, Mr. Lynx?" Sebastian asked from the other side of the door.

"Oh don't worry, I'll help him, Bassy~!" Grell flung open the door and bounded into Pen's bedroom. "Jazzy, I'm baaack~!"

"What's wrong with you?! What if I was still getting dressed?!" Pen squeaked and jumped back while swinging her scythe to keep the other reaper at bay.

"Then I would've helped you - your hair would look absolutely stunning if you wore more red, as would your scythe! Wait, what happened to your regular scythe? Not that I have a problem with this one - if it rains we can cuddle under it~" Grell pulled Pen close before forcing her arm up so the umbrella-scythe covered them, grinning like a lunatic. "Do be a dear and keep a lady from getting drenched."

Sebastian frowned at the reapers. "Whenever you two are ready to come downstairs, we can get back to discussing the newest murder."

"Another murder?" Pen asked, then slapped Grell when he tried to steal a kiss. "Stop it, Sutcliffe! Figure out when to quit, dmnit!"

Grell blinked and held a hand to his cheek before running from the room.

"I don't regret that." Pen huffed as Sebastian looked at her, putting up her scythe and brushing some stray wrinkles out of her clothes. "Now, what's this about another murder?"

_-That Butler-*'

Undertaker grinned as he realized the connection between the victims - it was so obvious now that he'd talked to a few of his contacts on the shadier side of the law. Taking that information along with what the ex-shinigami had figured out from a dissection of the recently resurrected clergyman... "Hmm, can you see it yet, little earl? Ehheheheheheee~!" He couldn't wait to see what kind of choice laugh he'd get for what he now knew.

Now to make a few preparations for when the Phantomhive boy came to visit, as he would eventually... Undertaker swooped around his little shop tidying up as he retrieved the appropriate materials.

Something small and white but the wrong shape to be a loose bone glinted in the faint light let in when he took an object of interest from a crowded windowsill. Curious, Undertaker stooped and scooped it up, examining it carefully between a pair of his long black nails before taking a quick sniff to confirm his suspicions.

"Ohoo, more proof! But what exactly are your motives, hmmm?" His grin was almost feral now. They had no business here, disturbing his guests' peace.

_-That Butler-*'

Ciel didn't like sitting in the parlor by himself, especially with the body lying in the middle of the room. How long were Sebastian and that annoying red-haired shinigami going to take? Unless Mr. Lynx was a very heavy sleeper there was only a need for one person to try and wake him up.

Grell chose that moment to come stumbling into the room, sniffling dramatically and clutching his cheek. "Mr. Lynx hates me!"

_"I'd hate you too if you tried to molest me in my sleep." _Ciel huffed to himself. "Don't step on the body."

"You care more about a corpse than a lady?!" Grell fell back onto a chair and curled up, sighing.

Ciel chose not to answer.

Sebastian and Mr. Lynx walked into the room a couple of minutes later. "As I have already told my master," the butler continued, "her death doesn't fit the others when considering status or occupation; however, she is one of the previous victim's wives."

"How'd she die?" the earl asked, impatient.

"She was stabbed in the chest with a rather large knife, as you can see." the demonic butler pulled back the sheet covering the elderly woman's chest just enough to reveal a deep bloody gash.

Pen looked at the wound and wrinkled her nose in distaste. "How violent. Who did it?"

"I don't know, that's why I brought her here." Grell huffed. "And she didn't have any cinematic records either. I thought she was just sleeping when I found her but when the world wasn't stained crimson when I cut into her I knew something was wrong."

Ciel frowned. "No records?"

"Nope, and if I go back to work then Willie will only give me more overtime."

Sebastian calmly observed the others, curious as to how they'd take this new development. It certainly implied that there may be a supernatural element to the case. Mr. Lynx's expression was the most interesting, his eyebrows knitted in concentration as if connecting this murder to something he hadn't cared to share with them yet. _"Hmm...what are you hiding, Mr. Lynx - if that is who you really are..."_

_-That Butler-*'

Grell scowled at Mr. Lynx and rubbed his cheek but he was now more confused than angry about the other hitting his beautiful face. Jasper had never actually hit him before, even when Grell took and hid the green-haired reaper's paperwork to make him think that he could leave work early. Maybe Jasper was just still upset about how his...sister/cousin/whatever-relation-that-Lynx-gi rl-was-to-him was kicked out of the Reaper Academy - who hadn't heard about the reaper-in-training with the highest marks in her class getting kicked out? Yeah, that was it.

"Sutcliffe, do pay attention." The reaper in question looked up at Sebastian and huffed. "Ohh goody, did we make progress?"

...

Making progress was out of the question. Grell couldn't help but sigh and pick at his lunch - a lady shouldn't have to deal with such a depressing atmosphere. After three hours of debate and theorizing it was surprising that everyone managed to eat in the same room together. The annoying little earl was focused on calmly sipping his tea and ignoring Jasper, who was still fuming about the rejection of almost all of his ideas.

"...I'm leaving," Jasper stood up so suddenly that his chair almost fell over backwards, "before I'm tempted to reap that menace's soul and send it to hell." He shot Ciel a death glare. "There's been absolutely no progress on the case and I'm tired of feeling so fcking worthless! Yeah, sure, I'll come back since my boss kinda stranded me here, but don't expect me to help you anymore!"

"Tch, let him go." Ciel muttered to Sebastian but loud enough for everyone else to hear as Jasper took a step backward and vanished.

Grell watched Jasper leave, frowning a bit to himself. How bad was the other's home life, exactly? The shinigami knew the Lynxes had a past that was much more checkered than appropriate for a semi-aristocratic family but they covered everything up very well...

"For the _third_ time, Mr. Sutcliffe, don't wander off into one of your disturbing fantasies while we're trying to get your attention." the earl glared at the redhead.

"Then I'm leaving too! We've gotten absolutely nothing done, and you hurt Jazzy's feelings~ I'm going to make sure he's okay."

_-That Butler-*'

Sebastian grinned to himself as he watched the reapers leave, his hunch becoming more certain. Now if only he could-

"Sebastian."

How convenient. The demon looked at his little master, awaiting the orders he knew were coming.

"Follow the reapers."

"Yes, my lord."

_-That Butler-*'

Pen appeared back in her room at the Lynx manor and promptly threw the glass sitting on her nightstand at the wall, sending glass shards and water droplets flying across the room. Since the so-called 'Queen's guard dog' had no teeth she'd have to take the investigation into her own hands.

"Ehh?" She suddenly squeaked as she remembered Jasper's promised date with Analise about halfway through her planning. Should she still follow through with it? Pen shook her head at the thought but there was no way she could back out now, especially since the real Jasper would've given at least a day's advance if he had to cancel and would downright refuse to ditch. Plus, Analise was actually nice to her - Jasper deserved a woman that was as accepting of everyone as he was, and they were a cute couple.

Pen sighed, resigning herself to her fate: a night out with Jasper's girlfriend. And _then_ she'll be back on the case!

* * *

**A/N:** Why's this update early? Because I was bored...and hoping to get rewarded with some reviews. Since the plot is getting more complex and I know people are reading this can I ask for three of them so my crazy school week ends better than it started?

Thanks for reading, and expect chapter five next week.


	6. Chapter V

[Chapter V] That Butler: Correct, of Course

* * *

No one would think of using the word 'smart' to describe Grell Sutcliffe, the craziest cross-dressing shinigami ever, but how did he earn his scythe if he wasn't? Only his twisted logic kept everyone from seeing how clever he could be - who wants to marry a woman with brains, anyway?

That hidden intelligence was what brought the red-obsessed reaper to the small but well-lit French restaurant upwind of the Thames. One quick change into his butler disguise later and he was seated almost right across from 'Mr. Lynx' and some pretty little reaper girl from General Affairs without them even batting an eyelash in his direction. Perfect~!

"Are you okay, Jasper?" The girl asked.

"It's just been a long day."

"Do you want to reschedule? I'd understand - I'm sure Pen needs you more."

"She'll be fine. And you know how she doesn't like to be babied too much."

Jasper's date chuckled. "She doesn't like to be babied at all."

Grell gave his order to the waiter and leaned back in his chair, simply a butler enjoying a night off. Why not get something to eat? He was obviously going to be here a while.

...

Now this was just getting boring! Gaah, why couldn't he have a nice romantic outing like Jasper and his girlfriend!? Maybe even with Jasper... Or he could talk Will into - no, Sebastian would be even better, especially if the demon made all the food himself~!

"...your hand..."

"What?"

Grell risked a small look around the couple blocking his once-perfect view to see Analise examining how her hand fit into Jasper's...or how it didn't. In fact, when taking both hands into account, it almost looked like Jasper was actually-

"What sick prank is this!?" Analise gasped softly and pulled her hand back. "How long has he been gone?!" She hissed after the few people who had noticed her actions turned back to their own business. Even Grell had to strain to hear them.

"What're ya talking about? I'm Jasper, we met a week after my cousin accidentally half-strangled you with tinsel, and we've been dating since New Year's!"

"Give it up, you're already starting to talk like yourself!"

"Analise, I'm already talking like myself! What's gotten over you?"

"Give me your hand."

"No."

"I'll show you what's wrong if you give me your hand."

"No!" 'Jasper's' eyes widened as 'he' realized 'his' voice had come out a lot higher than usual.

Analise sat back in surprise. "I didn't... I was actually right...?"

"...I- I gotta go!" The impostor quickly stood up and ran from the restaurant, drawing confused looks from many of the other customers. While heads were turned toward the young man ditching his lady friend, Grell quietly slipped out the back door and ran around the building just in time to catch a glimpse of coattails flicking into an alley. He followed, not noticing the unusually large raven circling above him.

_-That Butler-*'

Pen could hear someone running behind her, and that almost terrified her more than being discovered by Analise because it meant that someone else had found her out. Maybe if she could get to the Phantomhive manor before they caught up to her there'd be a chance that-

She hadn't noticed the footsteps had stopped until a blur of red suddenly landed in front of her. "Dmnit!" Penelope tried to avoid the figure but her loose-fitting shoes skidded on the cobbles and she slammed into one of the buildings lining the alley.

"You're fast, but you can't lose me easily in my territory~!" Light glinted off the chainsaw-shaped scythe as it was brought down with a roar only to crash against Pen's umbrella-scythe. "Now, tell me what you did to the real Jazzy you horrible but almost-as-sexy-as-the-real-thing charlatan~!"

"Grell, stop! I- Lemme explain!"

"Indeed, Mr. Sutcliffe, let her explain."

Both reapers looked at Sebastian in surprise before slowly lowering their weapons.

"'Her?'"

"Ehh?!" Pen bared he teeth. "How much do you know?!"

The demon smirked as he noted their reactions to 'Jasper' being referred to as female. "Not as much as you may be thinking, but enough."

Pen huffed and quickly stood up, not bothering to brush herself off. "Jasper's my cousin - I'm Penelope Lynx, but call me Pen. The real Jasper's been missing for a few days so I took his place to get more information."

"I see." Sebastian nodded slightly. "But you aren't actually employed by the dispatch."

"Eh?" Pen raised an eyebrow.

"Your 'coworkers' usually think twice before considering disobeying Mr. Spears, and you wield your weapon as if you were still adjusting to it."

"..." That she was observed so closely was kind of disturbing. Hopefully he hadn't picked up on her slight difficulty in breathing.

"And your pulse, after such a brief spat, suggests that you are also wearing some sort of chest binding."

Pen's face turned red in embarrassment. "Pervert!"

"Well Penelope was a fabulous actress anyway!" Grell chimed in. "I did work with the real Jazzy on several occasions and for his little cousin-"

"I'm not little! And anyone who knows my cousin knows he doesn't like being called 'Jazzy.'"

"Fine then! _Jasper's cousin_ to imitate him so well..."

Sebastian tuned the rest of what the reapers were saying out since he now had the information he wanted. Ciel's reaction to the news would be interesting. "If you two don't mind, it would be wise to head back to the manor before we are missed."

"Before _you're_ missed." Pen shrugged indifferently. "I was lying about going back." At least she could show how much she cared for Mr. William T. Spears's rules now.

"And what exactly is your plan for when you need somewhere to stay?"

Pen glared at the demon. "I'll find my cousin - and solve the case - before that happens."

"Is that a challenge?"

"It sure as hell is."

Sebastian smirked. It would be good to knock the girl down a peg or two, and catching the murderer sooner would put Ciel's mind at ease for a while.

"Wait, are you saying that Jasper disappeared because he knew something?!" Grell asked.

Pen nodded. "Yup, which'll help me figure out where he is faster."

"What do you wager then, Ms. Lynx?" For Pen to be this confident meant that she probably wasn't lying about the real Jasper sharing what could be key information with her. Not that a few extra hints would help her much.

"When I find Jasper and take down the killer, you...will have to go on a legitimate date with Mr. Sutcliffe andtreat him like a real lady for the whole thing! _And_ have a picture taken with him as proof!"

...of all the things she could have asked for... Between Pen's almost-fangirling and the sultry looks Grell was now giving him it was amazing that Sebastian didn't puke right there on the cobbles. "And when you are unsuccessful you will wear the outfit of my choice for a week, with no changing out of or altering it." The demon managed.

"Deal - oh nu-uh, I don't shake hands with vermin." Sebastian's hand was knocked aside by Pen's scythe.

"But if you don't the deal is off."

Sebastian smirked and made sure to squeeze Pen's tiny hand tightly as she reluctantly offered it. To her credit, she didn't wince.

"Ooooh, how exciting~! I can already see the outfit I'm going to wear when we go out, Sebas-chan~! But I also want you to win soo badly! My, my, who to root for?!"

_-That Butler-*'

"Agaain!?"

"Yes, again. We won't know if we've succeeded unless we can let him go without worrying about him running away."

"But it worked perfectly on the humans - they will truly be put to the test when we let them go tomorrow~! Ooh, I'm soo excited~!"

"Yes, but then the first one fell down the stairs and broke his neck. We need to make sure they can use more coordination while under our influence before releasing them."

Jasper couldn't help but cringe as the girl giggled again. The pitch of her voice was very obnoxious, and continued to get even more so as his hearing sharpened to make up for the inability to see.

"That's why we got the reaper in the first place, remember?"

"Right! Oopsies~!"

"Just give me the syringe, sweetie."

Jasper tried to squirm away but didn't get very far before the white-hot pain coursed from a single point in his shoulder to the rest of his body.

_...white walls, white cloth, white room...white walls, white cloth, white room... white walls, white clo- ...the room again, but looking a little smaller...a woman holding him close in a new white room, all pale skin and long glossy black hair with a pair of reaper green eyes and a sad but beautiful smile...playing with a tall man's mane of curly blonde hair...the first time he heard a harp...the black-haired woman carefully placing his fingers on the instrument's strings...learning Russian and English and some other language that the black-hair- his mother, his mor, used often when teaching him the harp..."Hai-haii~! D'awwe, my nephew is so cute!" ...the hellishly glowing ship that burned his mor away..."Why must I speak English all the time?" "Because we are English now." ...the blonde ma- papa - papa even though he wasn't around too much now - holding him over a white bed with white cloth in a white room so he could see the tiny baby girl nestled inside...teaching the little girl Russian when he could get away with it...watching the little girl, his little cousin, grow up..."I say I'm the only one who gets to call you Penny!" "Fine, but to everyone else y'introduce me as Pen, cause Penelope's too girly!" ...Pen accidentally dying his hair deep emerald with fancy quill pen ink, and how the color never faded or washed out..._

Jasper's captors sighed in disappointment as they half-watched the reaper's records, not even bothering to try and rewind them to the part at the beginning that kept repeating. At least they could afford to wait with figuring out what was wrong with his cinematic record - it was time to begin converting the masses.

_-That Butler-*'

Penelope took a running leap as she reached the end of the alley and easily caught the top of the wall with her fingertips, gripping the old brickwork just long enough to launch herself even higher towards the roof of a nearby building. "_Do svidaniya~!_" She glanced down just long enough to catch a final glimpse of Sebastian and Grell before her feet landed lightly on the hard shingles and she scrambled upward to a more level place where she could get her bearings.

The skyline was so different from any other place she'd been... The supports of a large bridge were just visible off to her right so she headed for them, recognizing the landmark from the one time she and Jasper had skipped classes to see how accurate the pictures in their textbooks were. From there she'd have a better view of the city, and possibly more of an idea of where she could find the undertaker Ciel and Sebastian kept talking about. Who cared if it was late? Maybe being woken at such a rude hour would make the guy grouchy enough to ignore the earl and his butler!

_ "That butler..."_ she chuckled to herself as she ran quickly and confidently across the rooftops. _"Now that I've actually seen him next to the guy that always refers to him as 'my Sebas-chan~' it's much easier for me to see how shippable they are! And the date with Grell would humiliate him even more than my getting the criminals first!"_

_-That Butler-*'

Grell chuckled to himself and turned back towards Sebastian after watching Pen practically fly up and out of sight over the rooftops. "So~, now that we're alone..."

"I must make sure the manor is in order before waking the servants and preparing the young master's breakfast."

"What a pity I went to follow Pen then - you could've wandered into my room and woken me up as well~"

_"By flipping the mattress."_ The demon smirked at the thought. Big mistake. Grell's eyes locked onto the growing curve of his mouth like a moth to a flame before the redhead glomped him. "Ooh, Bassy~! Would I have finally gotten my kiss with tong- owwww..."

Sebastian smirked even more as he turned away from the reaper now sprawled out on his back on the ground and strode away. "Good night, Mr. Sutcliffe.

* * *

**A/N: **That's it, since this is my last full week of actual school before finals and this chapter's just sitting in the doc manager I'm posting early again!

I hope it doesn't feel like Pen's real identity was revealed too early...did anyone see Analise figuring it out though? She may have her own little cut in the next chapter if the plot works out but we definitely haven't seen the last of her.

Chapter 6 isn't quite finished but I can safely say that someone else figures out that the real Jasper's missing - and it's not Ciel - so come back next weekend to find out who it is. Thanks for reading (and enjoy Thanksgiving, fellow Americans)~


	7. Chapter VI

[Chapter VI] That Butler: Bodysnatching

* * *

It had taken a while because there was a surprising number of undertakers in the area but after a few phone calls she finally found the right place. The weathered building even had a large sign above the door that read 'Undertaker.'

"Hallooo~?" Pen knocked only for the door to slowly creak open under her hand. "...guess he's in." She crept into the dimly lit front room and looked around at the coffins lying everywhere. "How shoddy...guess he doesn't get much business."

"I get more than you thiink, little boooy~"

Pen jumped and gave a small squeak of surprise. She'd almost forgotten she was still dressed as Jasper. "Heey, not cool! Where're you?!"

"Here~! Ehheheheheheeheee~!" A long cold hand quickly covered her mouth before she could wake up the neighborhood while another snaked around her waist. "So it's really a little giiirl~ Ehhehe- ouuch!" The tall pale-skinned man with even paler hair quickly released his visitor and examined the teeth marks in the palm of his hand, tentatively stroking them with long black nails as his chuckle grew a little more sinister.

"Well whaddaya expect me to do, kiss it all better?" Pen jumped away and wrinkled her nose in disgust. "Teh cweepy widdle pedophile'd like dat, wouldn't he?"

"...BWAHAHAHAHAHAA~!"

"Ehh?! How the hll's that funny!?" Pen stared at the undertaker in disbelief and anger. The guy looked every bit as eccentric as he acted; he wore a slightly crumpled black hat with a weird trail of fabric hanging off the top, a long black coat with sleeves that were too long for his arms, a gray scarf-thing draped over his shoulder and tied in a knot at his waist next to a chain of funeral lockets that was possibly acting as a belt, and some dark-beaded necklaces around his neck.

Without thinking Pen tangled her fingers in said necklaces and pulled the guy close enough that she could almost see past the curtain of long silvery bangs covering his eyes and note that the scar snaking across his face was really a deep crimson instead of black. "Who's behind the murders that Ciel Phantomhive's investigating?"

"I don't knoow what yooouu're talking abooout~" The unexpected scent of ginger cookies was strong but not overwhelming, and in almost any other circumstances Pen would've been madly blushing at how close she was to a member of the opposite gender.

"Yeah ya do - they kept bringing up needing to ask 'Undertaker' to analyze the body they found in case they missed something - and she was the wife of one of the murdered men."

"...I'm listening, but what do I get in return for helping you~?"

"What do you want?"

"Hmmm...I waant yoouuu too~!" Undertaker giggled as Pen dropped him, but caught himself and got back up easily.

"Nasty!"

"If you'd have let me finiishhhh... To give me prime laughter~!"

"...eh?"

"Make me laugh more~!"

"Uhh..." Pen really wasn't sure how'd she do this. The Undertaker obviously had a very twisted sense of humor. "Tell ya what, I have a bet with Ciel's butler, Sebastian. You know him?"

"Yees~"

"Well, if you help me, I can win the bet and he'll have to go on a date with a guy named Grell Sutcli-"

"BWAAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAA~!"

Honestly, how could she respond to that? And he'd completely collapsed and rolled into an open coffin that was lying on its side nearby.

Undertaker eventually stopped laughing and crawled out of the coffin, wiping away the tears and drool running down his face with a sleeve. "Ohh that'd be something to see indeeed~! Ehhehee~! All right, follow mee~"

_-That Butler-*'

"Shh! Shh! He's speaking!"

"Everybody, quiet so we can hear!"

Ciel looked toward the commotion with an annoyed expression. "What are they gathered around now? More performers?" He'd already been forced to weave his way through one crowd gathered around a trio of acrobats advertising for their troop that was still a couple of days away and wasn't thrilled about the possibility of his visit to the local French _patisserie_ being put off even more.

Sebastian stayed close to his master but moved to get a better view over the crowd, smirking to himself as several people told Ciel to 'hush up.' "Oh my..."

"I've seen the Light, and the Light, being merciful, sent me back to forgive and cleanse those that are as I once was - full of lies and deceit. Come and be forgiven, be cleansed!" Father George Thomas cried out from the box he was standing on and spread his arms as if trying to hug everyone surrounding him at once.

A small boy with messy brown hair and wearing a ratty shirt and pants tugged on Ciel's sleeve. "Can ya believe it, sir? That's the ol' preacher-man that blowed up a few days ago, 'e is!"

"Really, now?" The question was directed more towards Sebastian but the boy nodded vigorously.

"Say, ya don't happen to have a spare coin, sir?" The boy's eyes lit up in surprise as a small silver disk was flipped into his outstretched hand and he ran off through the crowd. "Big brother'll be so happy!"

Ciel frowned at Sebastian. "A crown? Really?"

"Well he did tell you who the man was before your butler, and was obviously looking for payment for his information."

"And why me, of all people?" the earl knew the reason but he couldn't help but test the demon.

"You are dressed as a noble...and your stature makes this crowd an obstacle." Sebastian smirked at how spoiled and childish the human looked when pouting. "Shall we address our subject now or after you've had your sweets?"

"After my sweets; maybe this crowd will have gone away b-"

Ciel's reply was cut off by the collective gasp that was the reaction to Father Thomas suddenly falling off of his box.

"Is he dead again!?"

"What a nasty fall..."

"It's time to get myself a man~ Desu Death~!"

_'Dmn." _Ciel allowed himself to think as he watched the crowd instinctively part as the red reaper twirled through it. _"Sutcliffe must have followed us."_

"Sebastian! Keep the body intact and take it to the carriage - this is an order!"

"Yes, my lord." The demon butler leapt after Grell, knocking the reaper's scythe away just as it was about to cut into the fallen human. "I cannot allow you to destroy evidence."

"Evidence? How cold - he was just living, after all~!"

"You think he was alive, how sentimental." Sebastian smirked as he blocked the roaring chainsaw with a pair of silver butter knives. "I don't smell any trace of a soul in that thing."

Grell frowned. "No soul? Let me try him just once so I'm sure~"

"No. I'm sure the young master plans for us to take Father Thomas to Undertaker."

"You could've used the woman I brought over to him!"

"You didn't notice that she'd been taken while we were confronting Ms. Lynx?"

Grell hesitated just long enough for Sebastian to knock him away and pick up the body. "Ohh, Sebas-chaan...~ I thought you'd simply moved her..." he gasped.

"That is not the case. Now, if you don't mind ceasing in your attempts to delay me, I must go."

_-That Butler-*'

Undertaker hummed cheerily to himself as he inspected his newest guest, ignoring the somewhat mortified looks that Ciel and Grell - who'd decided to tag along again - were giving him. The little earl had insisted that he give them results as soon as possible, however, which was why the silver-haired man was currently performing an impromptu autopsy on his own desk.

After what seemed like forever Undertaker finally washed his hands and retrieved a gray shroud that he draped over the body. "What my guest tells me only reinstates what I told the oother reaper~"

"What other reaper?" Ciel turned to glare at Sebastian yet again as the mortician started to snigger. "_Now _I find out where Mr. Lynx really went..."

"Ehhehehee...~ 'Mr. Lyyynx'...~ BWAAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAA~!" Undertaker shrieked in delight, the sound loud enough to cover the crash of the sign above his shop falling to the ground.

"Indeed. Mr. Lynx is no longer working with us, my lord." Sebastian managed over the ridiculous amount of laughter. "He's challenged us to a contest to see who can catch the killer first."

"And I still don't know who I want to win!" Grell whined.

"Indeheheed he has, ehhehehee~ And for such a good laugh, although unintentional, I'll tell you, ehhee~, what I know.

"Father Thomas, Abbot Brecken - I assume you know who he is, little earl - and the other religious were all, in some way, participating in behavior that would be frowned upon by their orders~ Embezzlement, usually, or trafficking of one sort or another. Ehhee~ such bad men~ And they all had some interaction with one Micah Stalwart, the daughter of a man employed to root out people like them."

"So all we need to do is find Micah and we find the culprit."

"Yees, but she's had help - how do you think the dead have been coming back to life, never mind renouncing all their wrongs and try to spread 'the good news' to others?" Undertaker casually held up a single white puff of down, the object he'd found when straightening up his shop.

Grell's eyes lit up and he stroked the tiny feathery object with a finger. "Ohhh~ How...mysterious~!"

"I see." Ciel managed to appear as if he already knew what the down belonged to. If they really were now in a competition with Jasper it would take him too long to make Undertaker laugh again and tell them who (or what) the object belonged to. Besides, as long as he had one name he could make them tell him who their accomplices were. "Thank you for your assistance, Undertaker. We'll be off now."

As soon as the trio reached the carriage Ciel stopped and looked up at his butler. "Sebastian, this is an order: take me to Micah Stalwart as quickly as possible!"

"Yes, my lord." Sebastian's eyes glowed vermillion for a moment and he handed the horses' reins to Grell. "Drive that way; I will meet you in two blocks but don't worry about stopping."

"Mmm, of course I won't stop, Sebas-chaan~!"

But the demon was already gone.

_-That Butler-*'

"Are you certain?" William T. Spears huffed in irritation as he automatically pushed his glasses back up his nose with his scythe.

Mr...whatever the-man's-name-from-Internal-Security-was nodded nervously. "Yes, sir. I even checked the tape myself after being notified of the issue. Mr. Lynx's story just doesn't work out when you take the times into consideration."

"Let me see it."

A cassette was quickly shoved into the VCR as the senior reaper turned on the television and set it to the appropriate channel. After about a minute of white noise the lobby of the London Dispatch flickered into view with the time stamp of 22:16 hrs. A couple of minutes later a figure that was obviously Jasper Lynx walked into the building and checked in at the front desk, chatting with the man on duty even as he hurried to his office.

"I assume you had someone splice the relevant clips?"

"Of course, Mr. Spears. It'll switch any time now."

The video didn't look like it had changed but the time stamp suddenly read 23:36 hrs. and only showed Jasper sprinting out of the Dispatch with his death list and scythe clutched in his hands, nearly falling down the steps in the process.

"This was the last clip we could find of him alone - the next one's when you lead him back in." The screen flickered again and showed the scene that was just described.

Spears frowned even more than usual and stared at the television as if trying to make it cough up what it was hiding. Wait, maybe... "Play the first one again, but skip to the part where Mr. Lynx is at the front desk."

The other reaper frowned in confusion but did as he was told.

"Now back to the last one. Pause it right there, now."

"...What is it, sir?" They were now staring at a very cross William T. Spears frozen in the act of dragging Jasper by his tie into the Dispatch, the green-haired reaper's head being jerked forward so he was almost looking at the ground.

Mr. Spears started to open his mouth but quickly thought better of it. If he said anything now then the news of an impostor being allowed into the human realm with a death scythe would spread like wildfire and his job would be in jeopardy - making sure these things didn't happen was a small but crucial part of what he did. He should've asked more questions the moment that 'Mr. Lynx' said he lost his list, scythe, and ID in the process of escaping from whatever-it-was. "Simply a smudge - someone needs to clean the camera lenses more often."

"I'll look into it, sir. Will this be all?"

"Yes." the senior reaper turned and quickly walked to his office. Hopefully no one would have-

There was a large falcon sitting on the back of his chair watching him, its bright gold eyes contrasting sharply with the silvery-grey envelope clenched in its beak. Mr. Spears might have mistaken it for a stuffed bird perched there as a prank had his door not been securely closed and locked while he was away.

The falcon suddenly dropped the envelope on the desk and clicked its beak expectantly but the movements didn't deter Mr. Spears, who quickly picked up the envelope.

_Mr. William T. Spears _was scrawled across the front in well-proportioned but thin, almost spidery cursive. The same hand had obviously written the enclosed letter as well.

_Mr. William T. Spears,_

_ As this is your first major infraction of policy since the beginning of your employment at the London Dispatch, you are allowed one week to rectify the issue before you are dismissed. _

_A. Haelstrom_

_P.S. If the bird refuses to leave give him something to eat - he prefers steak, well-done, and a glass of good wine._

If this was a prank it was a really good one. Mr. Spears had never heard of an 'A. Haelstrom' working for the Dis- wait, he had heard a very brief mention of the name...

Remembering that would have to wait though. Right now he had to make sure that Penelope Lynx was the shinigami he needed to track down; knowing her she wouldn't have stayed at the Phantomhive manor for long. She'd be the only one who could imitate Jasper that well and get away with it. And how had he not noticed the dirty blonde roots and bits of uneven dyeing until he'd watched the security video!?

"Excuse you." The reaper huffed at the falcon, who'd pecked at his finger to get his attention. "You're not getting anything from me; go home."

...

The falcon happily tore apart the steak and ate a few chunks while Mr. Spears cleaned up his desk. At least the feathered menace had accepted the fact that he wasn't going to get it any wine.

_-That Butler-*'

"We need to leave."

"Aww, why? It's so nice here~ And there's a nice, dark, quiet cellar to hide mister reaper in! And he has more pillows now!"

"Something...impure's coming. I don't want to see it touch you in any way."

"I wouldn't let it do that." Micah shivered at the thought and cuddled close to her companion. "You said I'm too innocent for that."

"Your innocence is why it would want you. Now get ready - I feel like it'll be back soon."

"Yes." the third, who'd usually remain silent and attend to the reaper's needs, added.

Micah frowned as she heard the single, calmly spoken word. Her other companion only talked when she felt it was absolutely necessary. "Can we go later? I don't think moving mister reaper again so soon would be good for him~"

"...all right, but we leave before dawn."

_-That Butler-*'

Analise sighed and returned the picture of herself trying to help Jasper get rid of the snowball that Pen put down the back of his shirt to her handbag. It was their first and her favorite photo, taken by the tall, loud Russian reaper that the Lynx cousins had invited over for the holidays. _"Why were you posing as your cousin, Penelope? Where's the real Jasper?"_ She halfheartedly glared at the Pen in the picture, who was laughing her butt off at the expressions on Analise's and Jasper's faces. The younger Lynx had to have a really good reason...

"Are you feeling any better?" Her older sister Jeanine asked quietly.

Analise smiled a little and carefully handed the two-year-old boy now sleeping in her lap back to his mother. "Not much, but better than earlier thanks to your little one. And thanks for letting me stay despite the short notice."

"It's no problem, I miss your visits. it's nice to have womanly conversations for a change. How long are you staying?"

"Until I have to go to work, but I'll come back when I'm done - I enjoy getting paid to sit at a desk."

"You'll have to give it up if you start having babies, from what I hear. That's why we adopted."

"That process takes so long though - they have to make sure there's a human suitable for conversion, never mind getting it at least close to the age you want... The Lynxes don't have much money despite their status, so all I can hope for is that Jasper's..." she blushed at the thought.

"If he's serious about you he'll find out on his own and say something." But Jeanine knew from earlier conversations with her sister, not to mention through meeting Jasper himself (and his cousin...who, in all honesty should be locked up in a room with padded walls), that the current topic was even more awkward for him than Analise. She hoped that things worked out for her sister though.

* * *

**A/N: **Posting day might as well be Friday, but I'll wait until next week's over to see if that's a permanent change - I seem to get more stuff done when I'm not at home, as well as finals to get ready for. Hopefully this chapter was still as good as the others~ Thanks for reading~


	8. Chapter VII

[Chapter VII] That Butler: Doesn't need a Head Start

* * *

_ "B...D...G...H...Ha...Hae - Haelstrom."_ William T. Spears read to himself as he trailed a gloved finger down the columns of the Shinigami Management Index. _"So he does exist."_ The reaper turned to the appropriate page, which would have the other's profile. Anyone with any type of management job would have their general information in the book, which was annually distributed to their coworkers. Spears remembered the feeling of pride when he'd gotten his first copy and saw his own page.

_A. Haelstrom_

_Rank:_ [Undisclosed]_  
__Positions/Honors: _Head of the High-Risk Reapings Sector (HRRS); Chair of Confidential and Sensitive Affairs (CSA); [others undisclosed].  
_Secretary: _Justin Franks (HRRS); [others undisclosed].  
_Reaper Status: _Active._  
__Contactibility: _(work) best done through letters via his secretary. (home) [undisclosed]

William T. Spears huffed to himself as he closed the book and set it back into its place on his bookshelf. _"Not even a profile picture...his positions explain the lack of information though. But now my main priority is finding Ms. Lynx. Getting information on Mr. Haelstrom will have to wait until the day I don't have paperwork or overtime."_

"You called, boss?" Ronald Knox asked as he leaned casually against the door frame.

"It's about time you showed up, Knox - I've been waiting for you for almost ten minutes."

"Sorry, sir, I was setting up a date and lost track of time." the younger reaper shrugged sheepishly. "Now what'd ya want me to do?"

"How close are you to Penelope Lynx?"

"Uhh..."

"Well she's a woman (even if she doesn't usually act like one), and you tend to date those."

"Yeeaaah, but that's not the point, is it?" Ronald really didn't want to remember that date. It wasn't like Pen had ruined it by how she presented herself - far from it, the girl was a riot when she stopped acting so awkward - but she sure knew how to keep him from realizing how much money he'd spent on their outing. And then there was the pick-pocketing incident...Penelope could run freakishly fast if she didn't want someone to catch her, but the chase was worth the last of his paycheck.

William T. Spears refrained from rolling his eyes. "She's posing as her cousin and is currently at large in the human realm."

"What?! Then where's Jasper?"

"We don't know, and we can't send Sutcliffe to investigate because he hasn't come back himself - he may even be in league with her."

Ronald stared openmouthed at his superior. "Sempai learned his lesson the last time...he wouldn't-!"

"_Go,_ Knox; there should be a case file on your desk by now. We already have enough overtime as it is as well so do try to make it quick." Spears interrupted, frowning even more than usual. "Humphries and Slingby will join you later if needed."

"Yessir..." Ronald nodded and gave a little wave as he walked back toward his own office to pick up the file. _"Surely Jasper isn't dead? He and Pen never really fight or anything; they're more like siblings than cousins. If I find Penelope she'd better have a good explanation."_

_-That Butler-*'

Micah Stalwart frowned and set her needlepoint down on the small oak table beside her. Ever since her companions warned her of their need to move she hadn't been able to focus on anything; even the news of another of their little experiments failing seemed to make much impact on the thoughts in her already buzzing brain. Who could have found them out? They'd put so much time and effort into making the plan perfect that there was no way even one of mister reaper's friends could find them out.

The door that led to the basement suddenly slammed open and a blonde-haired, indigo-eyed boy in a cream suit that looked no older than twelve stormed into the sparely-furnished room. "The reaper's gotten worse. We may be stuck here after all, Micah."

"Seraphina can't do anything for him?"

"She's trying but he keeps rejecting the cures." Micah had never seen the boy look so angry, or rattled, for that matter. "We're so close to our goal...so _close_...and they may destroy it all by dawn!"

"What exactly are you two trying to protect me from, Raoul?"

Raoul sighed heavily and let his dark eyes close for a moment. "Pardon me for my outburst and lack of explanation, Micah. You already know how my kind and our guest's kind exist - what's missing?"

"You don't mean -"

"Pssed off reapers? Yes he does~! "_Do svidaniya~ _sincerel- aack!" Penelope gasped and nearly lost her grip on her umbrella-scythe as a shiny black dress shoe slammed against her stomach and propelled her into the wall, its owner smirking smugly as he used his newfound momentum to swing toward Raoul.

The boy gasped and quickly jumped out of Sebastian's way, small pearly white wings springing from his back and through the fabric of his cream dress jacket with a couple of loud rips. "Micah, take what you can and go! He's a demon!"

"He's not at all what I expected a demon to look like."

"I'm simply one hell of a butler." Sebastian smirked, deep burgundy eyes glowing just enough to make Micah freeze in fear...or something else? The emotion was so hard to describe...

"Just go!"

Micah snapped back to reality and turned to run to the basement only to end up flat on her face when the reaper, who looked exactly like the one she was holding hostage, kicked her feet out from under her. "You little brat, where the fcking hll's Jasper?!"

"Wh...Who?" She gasped and pushed her brown bangs out of her eyes.

"My cousin! That you kidnapped!"

The two women quickly rose to their feet, eyeing each other warily. "I-I'm not telling you, you unclean thing!"

"Unclean?" Pen sniffed herself and wrinkled her nose. "Yup, I'm unclean, and plan to take a nice long shower after I've- Hey!" She snarled and charged down into the basement after Micah.

It took a moment for Pen's eyes to adjust to the dim light but when they did all she could see was a single large room containing two chairs, a table, several low but long boxes, and what looked like a well-padded cot in the corner farthest away from her. That is, until a very soft but familiar-sounding moan reached her ears.

"Jasper?!" She was at his side in an instant. "Jasper, it's me, Pen! I'm here! And you're alive...! Dmn it, put up more of a fight next time!" She was tempted to slap him for making her worry so much but didn't know how he'd react to it. He was already shivering violently.

Jasper's eyelids flickered in confusion before suddenly opening wide, startling her a little. "Pe- Pen! Trap!"

"Eh-"

Jasper whimpered and shrunk away from his now-paralyzed cousin and the child standing behind her. "Penny..."

Seraphina smiled serenely as she raised a syringe filled with a clear blue-tinted liquid above her head and checked the dosage. The light pinging of her small fingers tapping the glass cylinder sounded much more ominous than intended. It was time to cleanse a new soul.

"No...n-no...! Pen!? Pen!?"

Micah paused in rolling up one of Pen's sleeves. "Will miss reaper be okay with him shouting like that? What if it breaks the trance?"

"..." Seraphina frowned in understanding. "She's fine." Pale violet eyes glimmered as she popped her lips and gently blew the resulting bubble in Jasper's direction until it burst, the gas within knocking the reaper unconscious.

_-That Butler-*'

Sebastian had actually been a little surprised when he saw Penelope already making a move to dispose of the angel, but dealing with her had been simple enough - he was not going to lose the bet, and certainly not underestimating the female reaper again. Now, to capture said angel and its human...it had been a while since he'd fought one of the celestial beings, but this one was very young so the coming fight would be fairly simple. Maybe he'd even be able to play with it before finishing it off.

_"Sebastian, be as efficient as possible and resolve the case! That is an order!"_

Or maybe not. Sometimes the little lord Phantombr- Phantomhive's orders were hard to discern.

Sparks flew as Raoul summoned a sword and stabbed at the demonic butler only to be blocked by a pair of silver forks. "What?!"

"The Phanomhive cutlery must be able to withstand even the toughest of foods." A butter knife dug into a madly flapping wing, a thigh, a shoulder, staining the wood floor with blood as Raoul screamed in pain and quickly retreated to the basement. Sebastian's eyes glowed red in excitement as he followed - he loved that sound, it was somehow even more satisfying than what he imagined Ciel would do when their contract was finally complete.

"Ahh~ a scene to die for~ So much red already, Sebas-chan~!"

...Well that was one hell of a mood-killer. "Would you refrain from distracting me from my orders?"

"Your orders were to solve the case, not play with the criminals."

"Oooh, I always knew you were a bad boy~!"

Sebastian decided to ignore Grell completely and turned, closing his eyes and smiling smugly as he did so. "And that is what I was doing, my lord. I assure you that all parties involved are now contained in the basement. If you follow me down you shall receive your answers."

Ciel, who had remained inside the carriage with Grell until he felt like his butler had taken too long, thought about it before nodding. "Very well. Lead the way, Sebastian."

_-That Butler-*'

Ronald Knox was officially stumped. He'd checked the Phantomhive Manor, all of the cheap cafes and bars in the area, and even the Lynx Manor in the shinigami realm to see if Pen had returned there recently, but there was still no sign of her. Maybe she'd gone back to Russia; if that was what happened then the matter would be out of his hands and the case would have to go to the Moscow Dispatch.

Seeing as there was nothing else he could do the young reaper pulled out his death list and got to work on it so he wouldn't have overtime later.

* * *

**A/N: **A slightly shorter and later chapter than usual, but we're almost to the main fight scene! It's hard for me to write it though - almost all of the remaining chapters are planned out except for 8 since [spoiler block], so I may update on Sunday again.

Thanks for reading~


	9. Chapter VIII

**Warning: **Sebastian's butt-kicking awesomeness and lots of blood.

* * *

[Chapter VIII] That Butler: Confrontation

* * *

_ ...white walls, white cloth, white room...white walls, white cloth, white room... white walls, white clo- ...the room again, but a man was holding a little boy up over the side of her small padded white space to look at her...the tired but happy faces of a younger blonde man and a homely woman with deep red hair smiling at her, holding each other and her close...learning Russian from the bo-_

"They're coming, Seraphina! Purifying her records can wait!"

_-That Butler-*'

Ciel looked around the basement, squinting a little in the gloom. "It smells ghastly down here."

"It's the aroma of death~" Grell breathed deeply as if to savor it and stifled a gag.

Sebastian rolled his eyes at the pair, as he'd scented things worse than corpses, and turned on the switch for the gas lamps. The room only brightened a little.

"B-Begone, fiend!" Micah was cowering by a blanket-covered cot at the far end of the room, a crucifix in one hand and a bucket of water in the other. "I'm a God-fearing woman!"

Ciel scoffed. "I don't care what you are; as the Queen's watchdog I hereby place you under arrest."

"No! I didn't...! I didn't harm anyone!"

"She is telling the truth." the angel - Raoul - frowned as he shakily stood on the other side of the cot, supported by a smaller girl with almost white hair and violet eyes. "All we did was help make her dream reality."

"And what dream was that?" Ciel frowned.

"...To do away with the men who were about to escape punishment." Micah sniffled. "Daddy was good at what he did, but now that he's sick he can't get the bad men charged for their crimes, so they'll get to go free! If you're really the Queen's guard dog then why didn't you take care of those bad men sooner~!?"

Sebastian stepped forward, smirking slightly when the girl flinched and drew back. "My master is busy enough with what he does for Her Majesty."

Ciel nodded in agreement. "And she's sent me to deal with this case, which was far more pressing."

"Uhhh..." The uncharacteristic noise made Ciel frown at Grell, who was staring at several boxes tucked away in another corner. "Was it just me or did something move over there?"

Sebastian sighed, figuring that the reaper was only saying that so he'd have an excuse to try and cling to him again. "It's just you."

Raoul chuckled. "They're just impatient - we haven't let them out in a while."

"Let what out?" Ciel frowned slightly as he thought about what else could be in the basement with them. Sebastian could easily deal with anything that tried to attack but so far none of them had noticed anything besides the girl and her companions. It was somewhat disturbing.

"Our lady friends~!" Micah chimed in and smiled at the violet-eyed girl. "Seraphina, please let them out~! They could solve this problem for us~!"

"Lady friends should _not _creep around in the shadows unless they're not really proper ladies~ unlike me~!" Grell struck a pose and grinned.

"..."

_"Hmph; I dislike bribery, but it can't be helped." _Ciel coughed into his hand to regain Micah's attention. "If you tell us how you've been reanimating the priests' corpses we may be able to...shorten your sentence, since it would be impossible for you to do that on your own."

The girl gaped at him for a moment before smiling even more. "Nope, because you're an unclean little brat and will probably use the serum for your own evil schemes~!"

"She's got your personality down pat, my lord." Sebastian whispered lowly, smirking evilly when Ciel's face turned raging scarlet.

"However, we did discover something interesting." Raoul grinned as Seraphina snapped her fingers. "The serum turns women into mindless puppets, as opposed to the perfect vessels we send out to cleanse the masses."

Ciel stiffened and Grell yelped as the tops of the long boxes were pushed up from inside and the bodies of two nuns and the elderly woman Grell had found stabbed slowly rose to their feet from what looked like a bath of cloudy liquid, their eyes sparkling almost as if they'd just woken up from a refreshing nap.

"They're in very good condition for corpses." Sebastian raised an eyebrow but was otherwise unfazed.

"That's because of the preservative, although we were hard-pressed to figure out where Father Pince's wife went - her body is still a little stiff. But the last one...Seraphina wasn't sure how well she'd work, but so far we've been getting along splendidly - right, 'miss reaper?'"

The door to the basement clicked shut and Pen dropped down from the small ledge above it, face void of expression despite her reaper green eyes burning with anger and humiliation behind now-askew glasses. She was obviously still alive but unable to control her own body.

Seraphina smiled. "Reaper, kill them all."

"Sebastian, destroy the angels and the bodies - that is an order!"

_-That Butler-*'

_Mr. William T. Spears,_

_Due to recent developments your will no longer be required to retrieve Ms. Lynx. Do not consider yourself free of all charges, however._

_A. Haelstrom_

"What's that about, boss?" Ronald asked, having arrived just in time to see the silver-grey envelope drop out of thin air onto the elder reaper's desk.

Spears didn't answer until he'd carefully opened the envelope and read the contents. "We no longer need to look for Ms. Lynx."

"Huh. But that's a relief - I couldn't find any sign of her anyway."

"You did complete your death list though?"

Ronald grinned. "Well what else could I have done? I don't want overtime - and I'm gonna go meet some friends for a drink after I clock out."

It was so hard to not roll his eyes at the younger reaper's antics... "Go on then-"

"All riight! Thanks, sir!"

"- _after_ you turn in the appropriate papers."

"Awww!"

_-That Butler-*'

Grell managed to raise his scythe in time to block Pen, who had been mercilessly attacking Sebastian until the demon decided to duck around the redhead in order to protect Ciel from the corpses - the earl was struggling to keep them at bay with his cane. "Not bad~" he grinned as he felt himself having to strain a little to keep the umbrella-scythe away from his neck, "but can you keep up with this~?"

Pen whirled and dodged around the roaring chainsaw but seemed a little off-balance, often escaping severe injury by mere inches.

"Stop playing around, Sutcliffe." The demonic butler huffed as he sent one of the undead women crashing to the floor with a roundhouse kick to the head. "Assisting the young master takes enough of my time as it is." a younger woman quickly joined the first after a series of punches to her midsection. Micah gasped at the sharp cracking sounds as their heads hit the hard ground.

"I'm not playing, I'm enjoying an actual challenge~!" Grell smirked over his shoulder as he now stood back-to-back with Sebastian and Ciel.

Raoul clenched his teeth in anger as he left Seraphina, who stood rigidly against the wall by the cot with her eyes closed in order to concentrate on controlling her pawns, and began circling the trio along with the remaining nun and Penelope. The odds were practically three to two since the earl was pretty exhausted even before his butler stepped in. "I won't let you take Micah's dream away."

A silver knife buried itself into his other wing instead of Seraphina's throat and Raoul flinched in pain. "So you will even die for her. How noble..." Sebastian smirked, keeping his eyes locked with the angel's even as Grell sawed off one of the nun's arms when she tried to attack them. His gaze didn't waver when Raoul doubled over in pain from a fork in his throat either. "...and stupid."

"RAO-!?" Seraphina's disturbingly well-timed cry was cut off by a soft gurgle and a rush of dark liquid from her mouth and a crisp cut that ran cleanly and completely through her body from her armpit to her waist. White feathers speckled with crimson flew everywhere, as her wings had shot out from her back in surprise and were immediately pushed aside by something _behind_ her, which should have been impossible since she'd been standing by a wall.

_...a smaller version of Raoul clinging to her leg, spouting off questions he wanted answers to as soon as possible...the first signs of his wings sprouting...how he'd stayed behind and insisted that she continue to teach him even after the rest of his flight graduated...meeting Micah..."The men shouldn't die - that'd be pointless without giving them a chance to redeem themselves first. Maybe if they talked to you they'd see the error of their ways~!"...agreeing to Micah's idea and being Raoul's sponsor...setting up the perfect plan...sending out the letters to the clergymen Micah named, and making sure to collect the souls before the reapers did, as well as the bodies when other humans weren't looking...My apprentice will get his wings. He must; it's a perfect plan..._

All eyes watched the cinematic records slipped into an extremely large sickle in the black-gloved hand of a reaper casually stepping out of the wall.

'Carry on; my business is not with you at the moment. :)' the reaper looked toward them (it was hard to tell since his bangs and the shadow from the silky black top hat on his head effectively covered his eyes) and waved a white card just long enough for it to be read before grinning wickedly.

* * *

**A/N:** I was almost ready to post this last week...and then went on what I thought was a day trip only to discover it was actually a two-day event and missed my posting deadline (last Sunday). Everything should be back to normal now, and I may be able to post Chapter 9 by Wednesday to make up for my missed week. Hopefully no one minds too much?

Thanks for reading~


	10. Chapter IX

**Warning: **As this is a continuation of the last post, there is...more blood, and some depressing-ness in Pen's cinematic records. (Wait, what? A spoiler?! Nope, just a little tip in case some of the italics in this chapter (and a little in the last) confuse anyone.)

* * *

[Chapter IX] That Butler: In a Three-Way Draw?

* * *

Pen felt her arm move back to throw the umbrella-scythe through Grell's chest while he was looking over his shoulder at Sebastian and there was nothing she could do to stop herself from the reaper she'd admired for so long. She wasn't able to even look away since Seraphina was controlling everything, could barely hear Raoul or Sebastian or Grell's chainsaw as she made one final push to regain control over herself before it was too late.

Everything suddenly sprang into focus right as she leapt toward the redheaded reaper but he saw her coming, his scythe roaring in her ears as it got too close for comfort. Penelope tilted her hand just enough so her own scythe would go a little higher, a little farther in order to hit the creamy blur beyond Sebastian's shoulder, before trying to twist away from Grell even though she could already tell that it was too late...

_..."I say I'm the only one who gets to call you Penny!" "Fine, but to everyone else y'introduce me as Pen, cause Penelope's too girly!" ...switching outfits with Jasper and skipping music lessons...accidentally dying Jasper's hair deep emerald with a test sample of fancy quill pen ink, and how the color never faded or washed out...the first party she was allowed to attend..."Let me see her." "Hey, givvit back! Mama got it 'specially so I had one to bring!" "Oopsies." the older girl held out the doll's body in one hand and its crushed legs in the other. "You can't play with us if your dollie's broken."...the pride of buying her first set of toy soldiers and watching the girl who tried to crush them limp off squealing...meeting Jasper's step-mom and her son Tom..._

_-That Butler-*'

"SERAPHIIINNAAA!" Raoul shrieked and lunged toward the black-clad reaper, drawing his sword and swinging it through the air like a madman, wings flapping madly to keep him at a height where he could get a fair strike at the other's head-

-only to crumple to the floor with a dark green umbrella through the chest and a pair of silver knives embedded in his severed head. Sebastian and the reaper had taken advantage of the angel's lack of sanity, but the umbrella-scythe, which was now absorbing Raoul's cinematic records...?

"So that's who she was aiming at...oopsies~" Grell frowned as he stopped his chainsaw-scythe, grinning sheepishly. No one had even noticed that he'd turned it on. "Penelope...she must have managed to get her body back before...but she looks amazing in red~ Oh Sebby dearest, let me cry on your shoulde-_oomph~!_" the reaper quickly scrambled away from the cinematic records snaking out from the deep gash he'd made in Pen's side, but they only hovered in the air as if unsure of where to go. That and their fuzzy quality was a good sign though because it meant she could still be alive.

"No." Sebastian scowled at Grell before turning back to make sure Ciel was all right, "My lord...?"

"Yes?" Ciel looked up from poking the now-fallen nun with his cane. "She collapsed as soon as the first angel was...dealt with." the boy looked a little green. "It seems that Seraphina's control only lasted as long as she was alive."

"Speaking of 'alive,' my lord, there is still someone else here. Do you wish for me to deal with her?"

Micah flinched violently as all eyes in the room fell on her and she quickly flung several blankets off of the cot to reveal the sweat-covered head and chest of what had to be the real Jasper, who appeared to be nearly comatose. "I- I'll kill him!" the pitch of her voice rose in terror as she clumsily held a knife she'd gotten from who-knows-where to his neck Let me go or I'll ki-"

Grell openly gaped at the large sickle that had cleft Micah neatly in two and was now buried into the wall up to the hilt. "Even those who admire from afar aren't safe...~"

The reaper chuckled as Grell fainted.

Sebastian pulled Ciel's bangs out of his face as the boy turned away and threw up. "Excuse us - the earl has a rather weak stomach at the moment."

A white card flicked through the air. 'I have no concern for the mortal's health, demon.'

_"But you should have concern for me."_ When Sebastian looked up again his eyes were a brilliant vermillion. Something about the reaper just didn't seem right.

'I have no quarrel with you unless you threaten my reapers.'

"Sebastian...be ready..." Ciel gasped, usable eye darting between the two. "...Your reapers?"

_"I am aware, my lord."_

'No, I am not death himself.'

"Then who are you?!"

'I am A. Haelstrom.'

_-That Butler-*'

_...the daily bullying and beatings she and Jasper dealt with for being 'different'..."Penny...why?" "I'm trying to get immune to pain." she smiled through her tears. It wasn't like she was slashing her own arm open with the intent of dying - she'd done her research. "I'm tired of it all, Jasper..." ...running away to Russia with Jasper because of...because of...because of...because of...the first time she won a fight without Jasper's help...meeting her first real reaper friend, and years later, almost sleeping with him until he backed off, admitting that he thought of her more as a sister and that he'd fallen for a guy they were friends with...everyone suddenly liking Jasper after they were taken back to England but treated her like dirt-_

Pen gasped and suddenly broke through the haze clouding her mind. She was notgoing to relive her life in some half-dead state, and she was _not_ going to let herself die because of some stupid chainsaw wound. Plus, there was no way blood loss or psychotic angel experiments on her body were going to keep her from her goal of-

_...a drawing of what she thought she'd look like in the uniform of Death's Understudy, the dream occupation for any reaper wanting to work directly for Death himself..."Hey all, I'm going to the Reaper Academy, screw the rules!"_

_-That Butler-*'

"Where did he go?! Sebastian!"

"The reaper is no longer with us - none of them are, my lord."

"Dmn..." the earl didn't care what Sebastian though of his choice of words at this point. "Turn on the light then."

Sebastian smirked to himself, not that anyone else would see in the darkness that had swallowed them up after Haelstrom made the lights go out. That reaper was certainly interesting. "As you wish."

Ciel blinked at the sudden light, then sweatdropped as he took in his surroundings. "This is my own cellar!"

"It is indeed, and if I am correct, its about time that you write a letter to the Queen on how you have solved her most recent case..."

"..."

_-That Butler-*'

Penelope Lynx cursed as she woke up to find herself lying on a barely-padded bench in a small gray holding cell with her wrists encircled by handcuffs and no umbrella-scythe in sight. So she'd been caught after all, but at least they'd stitched her side up if the dull pain and stiffness around her torso was anything to go by. Hopefully Jasper was all right - it wasn't as if he did anything wrong but she knew that her parents and his would try to use the situation to regain custody over her and take back the part of the fortune Jasper took when he came of age.

But for now all she could do was wait until her trial, which must be soon if she was in such a small cell with no obvious toilet.

"Ms. Lynx, the Board is assembled and waiting. Walk out of your cell slowly and with your hands extended in front of you."

"Where's Jasper?" She growled at the guard peering at her around the door. "I'm not getting up until I know he's okay."

"Jasper's still unconscious in the ICU, but they've managed to stabilize him."

"...okay." She really wanted her cousin to be able to support her but if he still needed time to recover she'd accept that. "And if sht hits the fan, don't let Jasper find out what happened to me until he's gotten better."

"Will do. Now let's go."

* * *

**A/N:** I had fun writing this chapter for some reason, but now the fic is almost over - one or two more posts are left before I click on that little 'complete' circle...but Jasper will be back just in time to help tie up some loose ends~

Thanks for reading, and happy holidays!


	11. Chapter X

[Chapter X] That Reaper: Acts

* * *

_ Penelope Lynx cursed as she woke up to find herself lying on a barely-padded bench in a small gray holding cell with her wrists encircled by handcuffs and no umbrella-scythe in sight. So she'd been caught after all, but at least they'd stitched her side up if the dull pain and stiffness around her torso was anything to go by. Hopefully Jasper was all right - it wasn't as if he did anything wrong but she knew that her parents and his would try to use the situation to regain custody over her and take back the part of the fortune Jasper took when he came of age. _

_ But for now all she could do was wait until her trial, which must be soon if she was in such a small cell with no obvious toilet. _

_ "Ms. Lynx, the Board is assembled and waiting. Walk out of your cell slowly and with your hands extended in front of you." _

_ "Where's Jasper?" She growled at the guard peering at her around the door. "I'm not getting up until I know he's okay."_

_ "Jasper's still unconscious in the ICU, but they've managed to stabilize him."_

_ "...okay." She really wanted her cousin to be able to support her but if he still needed time to recover she'd accept that. "And if sht hits the fan, don't let Jasper find out what happened to me until he's gotten better."_

_ "Will do. Now let's go."_

__-That Butler-*'_

_ Undertaker held the slim green-bound book carefully in one hand as he walked down one of the less-used hallways of the London Dispatch. There was nothing wrong with the corridor itself, just that the aura of one of its inhabitants made it seem slightly darker than the others. Darker...but more enticing, which was worse than just having a lack of light. And Undertaker was going to see that very person._

_The silver-haired reaper knocked on the unmarked door once before entering as if he had a right to do so – in a way he did, at least until the small white slip of paper clenched in his other hand was returned. "Hello-o~?" He grinned._

_A shadow half-cloaked in the gloom shifted slightly and a very pale sliver of face rose into view somewhere beyond a flat plane that could have been a desk. It bobbed a bit as if nodding but didn't reply._

"_Just got back, eh? Will I have the privilege of dealing with this target?" Undertaker noted as he caught a glimpse of a very large sickle resting on the desk, its blade glinting deep crimson. _

_An indifferent shrug. _

"_You know they like a neutral party to take care of them, even if you dealt with them… Such a challenge, but so simple to repair because of your clean and elegant way of cutting them down!" He laughed creepily._

_A white card flashed through the gloom, held in a strong but slender hand covered by a black glove. 'You flatter me – what do you want?'_

_The silent reaper's guest was suddenly serious, stepping forward until he could place the book on the desk. "Don't let them get rid of the cousins."_

_ 'Why?' The new card that flicked by read._

_ "They're of interest to me."_

_ The soft scratching of a quill pen on paper could be heard for a moment. 'They interest everyone. You know this of course - I saw you 'sitting in.''_

_ Undertaker was briefly surprised, then chuckled as he remembered who he was dealing with. "Of course you saw me."_

_ 'I do not appreciate flattery.'_

_ "I wasn't giving you any, just simply stating the obvious."_

_ Black-gloved fingers tapped lightly on the handle of the sickle in warning while a series of cards appeared as if by magic. 'I am not in the mood for your games.' 'Now, what is the book you brought me for?' 'And be brief and serious for a change.'_

_ Undertaker sighed but knew even he wouldn't last long if this reaper decided to get violent. "I've compiled an account of the cousins' little 'adventure' from their own records, as well as excerpts from those whom they interacted with for validity."_

_ 'I have enough reading and writing to do in the Ledger...' 'What's in this for me?'_

_ This was where Undertaker played his trump card. His host actually inhaled softly at the sight of the slip of paper that was raised for him to see. "I'd liiike to uusssseeee the favoor I got from yyoooooouuu~!" _

_ 'Done!' 'Now give it to me! (/o,o)/' 'Hurry up; I've been waiting ages for you to give it back! DX'_

_ "Only~ when~ you~ let~ them~ stay~!" The silver-haired reaper trilled, laughing even more as he quickly pulled the paper back, holding it close to his chest and dancing out of reach...and paused as he felt a small pain at the base of his skull. "My word, you're certainly faster than you let on~!"_

_ 'Get out.' 'I have business to attend to.' The silent reaper grinned evilly as he slowly pulled the second sickle away, waiting a few minutes after Undertaker had left to finish cleaning the sickle on his desk before opening the green-bound book to the first page._

...

Haelstrom huffed softly to himself as he closed the green-bound book; it was just like the Undertaker to waste his time by recapping things until they began to repeat themselves and omit details that may affect the outcome of the case and keep the reader from becoming confused. That ex-shinigami knew just how to push his buttons. The black-clad reaper didn't mind half the time - it was a good exercise of patience and self-control.

How to deal with Penelope, however... She wouldn't die easily, as she'd pulled her own records back into herself by the time he dropped her and the other reapers off at the Intensive Care Unit, and she did manage to capture Raoul's records...although if one took her past into account...

After taking a couple of minutes to close his eyes and think over the matter, Haelstrom slowly rose and retrieved his sickles (which he really shouldn't have let set so long without cleaning, but there was the little matter of making up for killing the girl that hadn't been on the death list), putting them away before sweeping out of the room. It was time to pull a few strings.

_-That Butler-*'

"Board of the London Dispatch, Penelope Lynx; Ms. Lynx, the Board." there was no need for formalities between the two anymore, as Pen and Jasper had stood in front of the eight high-ranking reapers on several other occasions in the past. The guard escorting her didn't even break his stride to give the courtesy introduction. Someone had thought it would be funny to assign the poor guy to every case involving the Lynx cousins so he could afford to be very informal as well.

Instead of finding it insulting, Pen thought the attempt to remind her that she visited the courtroom far too often was hilarious.

The head of the Board, a reaper with salt-and-pepper hair even though he looked like he was in his mid-twenties sighed and rose. "I don't know why we even bother trying you - and on occasion, your cousin - because we either don't have enough evidence or Jasper finds a loophole, but we _know _it was you this time."

"You aren't even taking into account that I helped catch the bstards who took Jasper! _I _did more than everyone you sent out to find him and you're thinking about throwing me into a fcking cell for life?!" Pen interrupted.

"Watch your tongue!" A stocky reaper with an ear missing yelled back.

Pen simply stuck her tongue out and crossed her eyes. "Ahm wahthin' it, thirrah! Goddit thuwounded!" [I'm watching it sir! Got it surrounded!]

_"I always wonder if she'll finally act her age in front of us, but she simply gets more immature."_ The head sighed and raised a hand to stop the bickering. "...what is it _now,_ Ms. Lynx?" he couldn't help but glare at the girl, who was laughing so hard that she was on the verge of crying.

"Ya...! Yaaaa caught s-! Some bird crap, and...! A-and I've been trying to -heheee- do that for foreeveee-e-er~" Pen paused for breath, "so I couldthrowitatsomebody~!"

The head of the Board looked at his hand, which had indeed been birdie-bombed, then looked up.

"That's _his_ bird." a skinny reaper with tiny glasses pinching his nose commented softly. A couple of other heads nodded in agreement. "He has a letter for you, boss."

The falcon screeched and let the silver-grey envelope drop from its beak into the midst of the board.

"Oooh, what's it say? Is it a pardon or did I finally get summoned before the Council, 'cause this little party's gotten kinda old."

"..."

"Weeeell...?"

"It's a pardon - and not just a pardon, an invitation to become an active reaper for the Dispatch."

Pen mouth hung open in shock for a moment before she squealed in pure joy. "Lemme go then - I gotta tell Jasper!"

The reaper in charge of guarding her didn't even bother unlocking the handcuffs - they'd melted off before he could even touch them. That hadn't ever happened before.

_-That Butler-*'

Analise sighed and gently stroked one of Jasper's limp hands. She'd rushed to the medical ward as soon as she heard that he'd woken up but by the time she was allowed to visit him he was sleeping amongst his swarm of small, brightly wrapped get-well gifts again. Maybe she could talk to him for a bit before Penelope showed up; it was weird not having the other reaper girl hovering over them to make sure they were 'good until marriage.'

...maybe nice would be a better word to describe the lack of Jasper's crazy cousin.

"Where's Jasper!? I've got the most fcking amazing news ever!" A very familiar voice screeched. Analise's eyes widened as the overhead lights flickered slightly.

"I've gottaaaa...getashower,bye!" Penelope skidded on the tile floor as she twisted one hundred and eighty degrees but Analise caught her by the arm before she could run back down the corridor. "Penelope Lynx, come back here this instant!"

"Never! I just got outta the courtroom and you're not gonna drag me back in!"

Analise yowled as something that felt like an electric shock knocked her off her feet, forcing her to let go of the younger reaper.

"S... Stop..."

Both women suddenly found themselves frozen in place against their will until Jasper started coughing.

"Jasper...!?"

"JAAASPER!" Pen started to run towards her cousin but vanished only to reappear on top of him. "DON'TCHASCARETHEHELLOUTTAMELIKETHATEVERAGAAAIN!"

The green-haired reaper swatted weakly at Pen as she hugged him tightly. "...breathe...can't..."

"Let him breathe, at least." Analise glared at Pen while smoothing out her dress.

"...reapers don't need to breathe, but fine..."

Jasper flopped back onto his pillow in relief. "How... long've I been...here?"

"Just a couple of days, at the most!"

Analise smiled smugly. "Wrong. It's been a little more than a week."

"Ehh?!"

* * *

**A/N: **The word count was twice as much as most of the other chapters when I finished typing this one, so cutting it off here was the best I could do. If my wifi likes my laptop I'll try to post by Friday to make up for all of these almost-midweek updates.

Thanks for reading~


	12. Chapter XI

[Chapter XI] That Butler: Gets Answers...or Not

* * *

Analise nodded. "Someone brought you two and Mr. Sutcliffe here, but Pen healed fast enough to be discharged early (which was really weird) and moved to some cell or another, from what I heard from the nurses on duty."

"..." Pen and Jasper looked at each other, then at Jasper's girlfriend, who was still glaring at Pen.

"Oh no, I'm not leaving until I get some sort of explanation about what you two have been up to - _especially_ when it comes to the date where you were a stand-in for Jasper!"

"She what?!" Jasper managed before breaking into a violent coughing fit that caused him to knock over some of the get-well gifts. A couple of them popped open without him touching them as well.

"Ehheheh...I'll explain as we tell her what happened."

_-That Butler-*'

Haelstrom grinned as he spotted Drake flying back with a smug look on his face. The falcon must have used his favorite method of getting people to pay attention to him. 'Good boy.' 'Stay in my office while I do some work.'

Drake landed on his perch and bobbed his head before clicking his beak a couple of times.

'I will be back in time to feed you.' the black-clad reaper made sure his office door was locked from the inside before he vanished...

...and materialized in the basement of the Phantomhive manor instead of the bedroom of one of the humans on his death list.

"I seem to have finally contacted you."

Haelstrom nodded. He had no reason to attack the demonic butler, although that would change if Sebastian continued to hold him in the basement. It took a lot of power to actually summon him without the use of one of his cards and the other didn't even look like he'd exerted any energy. 'I am supposed to be working.'

"You were 'working' when you destroyed the girl that should have been punished as the humans saw fit?"

'Yes.' 'My duties are a little different than the typical reaper's.'

"But you won't tell me what those duties are."

'...' Haelstrom grinned as he quickly scribbled something on the back of the card before turning it over. 'Ooh, you're good, demon. :)'

"What kind of a butler would I be if I couldn't discern what I should keep my nose out of?" Sebastian smirked in reply.

'Continue keeping your nose out of my business in return for my transferring you and your 'master' back to your home and cleaning up the basement.'

"Fair enough."

'Then I am able to leave?' Had Sebastian been able to see Haelstrom's eyes he would have noticed how they'd shifted slightly towards a pile of flour bags near the stairs.

The demon's smirk grew as he nodded and watched the reaper vanish as quickly as he came. Haelstrom was confident but aware of Sebastian's attempts to see how much power he had - this was definitely an opponent he wouldn't mind meeting again. And maybe get some better answers from.

"You may come out, my lord."

Ciel huffed and crawled out from behind the flour bags, covered in dust and a few old cobwebs that his butler deftly swept away. "What did you learn?"

"That we won't get any answers from him easily."

Ciel huffed in displeasure. At least the queen had forgiven him...for the most part. He'd settle with that for now.

_-That Butler-*'

Giving Analise her explanation took a lot longer than they'd thought, mostly because Penelope would butt in to add more details or explain how what she'd been through related back to Jasper's view of affairs, but on occasion because of Jasper blushing in embarrassment or facepalming at something Pen said she did. They also had to stop a couple of times to get food and so Jasper could be given more medicine and take a nap.

The longer pauses were the ones that Analise hated the most - she was sure that at some point Pen and Jasper would suddenly grin and say, 'but then we woke up' or something equally cheesy. They never did, however, leaving her no choice but to accept their story or demand they tell her what they were really hiding.

"This is...the most fantastic story that I've ever heard! I can't believe you'd come up with something so utterly unbelievable!"

"Annie, its all true. Except possibly that bit about the reaper coming through the wall-"

"I wasn't hallucinating, and there wasn't a door behind he-!"

Jasper covered Pen's mouth even as a crack formed in the screen of one of the machines he was hooked up to. "But that's what happened. I honestly don't know how else to say it other than I was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time."

Analise sighed and shook her head in disbelief. "I... Jazz, I'm going home for now, work was more tiring than usual."

"Call me if you want to talk, Annie."

But Analise was already gone, rushing to get out of the building as soon as possible. The Lynxs' story and the minor damage somehow done to the ward's equipment when they were surprised or angry was too much for her to deal with at the moment.

...

"So, what's you big news?" Jasper yawned and looked at Pen sleepily. It was about time for another nap but she was obviously itching to tell him.

"...I'MANOFFICIALACTIVEREAPERNOW!"

It took the elder cousin's brain a bit longer than usual to interpret the loud blur of syllables but when it finally did the only response Japer was capable of was a slow, gentle collapse that was halted by his head hitting the pillow. And as if to emphasize the phrase 'out like a light,' the lightbulb almost directly over Jasper's head went out with a hollow 'pop!'

Pen had no response prepared for this sort of situation so she just ignored it entirely. "Okay, have a nice nap and wish me luck down in Specs with Pops! Hopefully I don't get a pair of glasses that's too dorky - or like your rimless perfectly circular lenses, no offense - I just wanna be unique!" She bounced out of Jasper's room and ran all the way back to the Dispatch, not noticing the small wave of power surges and spiderweb-cracks trailing behind her.

_-That Butler-*'

"Owww..." Grell moaned, then winced as the sound of his own voice made his head throb painfully. What happened? All he remembered was traipsing about London with a death list in one hand and his scythe in the other - did he have a run-in with a demon or simply miss a step and fall to the cobblestones? Maybe he'd come across Sebas-chan, speaking of demons... But his Bassy knew that he could take Grell without knocking him out first.

Oh yeah, he'd blacked out while working and fallen from the rooftops. Well, that's what everyone had been telling him for about a week now so there was no harm in believing it (even though there was a tiny part of him screaming that it was all a lie).

A very familiar face framed with black and blonde hair blocked out the light above him. "Sempai, are you awake yet!?"

"I think so, but you're very loud."

"Sorry! Err, sorry." Ronald backed away a bit and lowered his voice. "Have ya gotten any better? Remember anything else yet?"

"I'd be better but I'm still stuck here, unable to look for my Sebas-chaan~"

It was easy to dodge the younger reaper's second question since Ronald was more concerned about the redhead's health, but the fact that Grell didn't remember why he'd fallen in the first place still worried him. A little amnesia shouldn't prevent him from going back to work for almost two weeks - he knew what day it was when he went out to gather the cinematic records assigned to him. Maybe he was sick with something serious.

"Oh yeah! Sempai, the doctor told me to tell ya that you might be released tomorrow if the tests go well!"

"Really?!" Grell barely felt the pain in his head now.

"Yup! It'll be absolutely crazy with you and Penelope, but at least we'll have a new person to help manage all the paperwork!"

"Penelope? Isn't that the reaper girl who got kicked out of the Academy despite the perfect grades?"

"Yeah. Funny thing, she takes off to the human realm disguised as Jasper - her cousin, that reaper who went M.I.A. - only to come back and go straight from jailbird to active reaper!"

"How?! Only the higher-ups..." Grell trailed off as his headache suddenly got worse. "Uggh, this lady obviously didn't get enough beauty rest - do I have bags under my eyes?"

"Of course not Grell, you'd look great even if you'd- good grief, the time! Whelp, sorry to cut this visit short but I promised some buddies to meet them at the pub and I don't wanna be late! Rest up well, Grell-sampai!"

The redhead flopped back onto his pillow as soon as the door slammed behind Ronald and basked in the newfound silence until his head stopped throbbing. Maybe he'd be able to figure out why he felt like he knew the story before the younger reaper had told it after some pain killers, so he pressed the call button with the hope that someone would come before he fell asleep.

* * *

**A/N: **Whaat?! A chapter up on Sunday? Why yes it is! And I have a better plan for how I'm going to write the ending but I'll need one more chapter, meaning that this story should have 13 chapters when I'm finally done (and maybe a 14th for an epilogue).

A shoutout to everyone who faved/followed/reviewed, because my email was being stupid and didn't tell me that there were people enjoying this story!

Thanks for reading~


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